Roots

Barely listened around the fringes of these but my memory suggests I am fonder of them than other 90s metal bands. This is banging. Ratamahatta is absolutely ace. As is Born Stubborn. I'd say the Nu-metal songs are less good, but Lookaway is epic. 72 minutes is far too long, so tracks to drop - Straighthate, Dusted maybe? Itsari feels like a natural end point, then there's 4 more, admittedly good, songs. There's no bad tracks, it's just too long. Ah, the last track is 13 minutes of, well, canyon jamming, I guess. Which is great but I'm obviously not listening to it all every time I stick this on. So that takes this down to a tight 59 minutes.

Fave tracks- Attitude,Ratamahatta, Dusted, Jasco The tribal influences in this are very interesting and definitely a departure from typical metal music. Just wasn’t in the right state of mind for this listening experience today. 2/5

Classic and so influentual, trad percussion plus metal gave us slip knot.

Lekker

ROOOTTTTTTSSS! BLOODY, ROOOOOOOTS!!!

Favourite album: Ratamahatta

Pas le meilleur album metal, des défauts par ci par là, mais clairement un album important dans la scène groove. Mérite d'avoir sa chance

This is not my favourite Sepultura album, but I still think is great. There are some absolute top tier groove metal and latin metal here (even though I think the combination of Brazilian rythms and metal was better executedin Chaos A.D.). Idk why this and so many metal albums are ranked so low tho, are people in this page allergic to metal?

Listened Before? N I really enjoyed Arise, so it was surprising to me that I didn't enjoy this one as much. It seems the evolution of Sepultura was for them to get more extreme and to scream more. Also, adding in some Portuguese didn't help me enjoy it any more. Not really a fan of this one. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Ratamahatta

Sure, there's a heck of a lot of screaming by the vocalist and it's very much in the hard metal or thrash style, so in that sense it is a little much for me, but there is also quite a bit of soul and spirit in the music and I'm surprised to say I like it.

Classic, pretty good

Goed hard. En dan dat laatste nummer, wat iets apart is, maar toch goed op een of andere manier

Les chansons plus tribales sont meilleures que celles plus traditionnellement métal. Sympa, mais pas à tout casser.

Too much screaming

Rooooooooots, Bloody Roooooooooots! De rest van dit plaatje is toch echt weinig aan. Sepultura betekent overigens graf in het Portugees. Doe er uw voordeel mee, indien u aankomend weekend nog een popquiz bezoekt!

Bah...

Qua muziek kan ik dit nog wel enigszins hebben, al zijn er naar mijn mening genoeg bands die betere nu-metal maken. Maar die 'zang'.... Meneer was volgens mij al 3 maanden geconstipeerd en ging toen op de pot zitten persen om er een keutel van 3 kilo uit te werken, en tegelijkertijd ook maar meteen de vocals van deze plaat opgenomen. Efficient, dat wel. Om aan te horen? Nee.

Ik zou het niet direct opzetten als m’n schoonouders op de koffie zijn, verder vind ik het best te hebben.

This was an interesting one. Lotta screaming and moshing. Super heavy guitar work too. I actually thought this was pretty decent for what it was. The last song on here shouldn't have been included, it was just 10+ minutes of nonsense. 3/10 actually interesting though

I was like "This gives me Korn vibes". And to my surprise, the Korn vocalist is featured on this album.

I like it. Unashamedly heavy and extreme. With some added authentic ethnic touches which made it stand out. Otherwise they sound just like 000's of other bands like this. I've no idea what genre this is? nu metal, Death metal? thrash? Heavy? One other reviewer commented this was a great album until the howling began! Having said that I enjoyed listening to this.

Some of the guitar parts are alright, can’t be arsed with all the shouting

Life's too short for this shit

2 albums! 2 albums appear on this list!

Fun metal album

I guess it's good, can't really say much about it. Let's just give the Album 3/5 and carry on.

i didnt hate it as much as i usually hate heavy metal.

Yea, no. This is the extreme shit I just can't listen to. Let it get about halfway through the album and called it. Hard pass.

Oh good God. I almost turned it off immediately, but I stuck with it. Listened all the way through. As a rock fan, I have to say there were definitely some good grooves in there. Clearly this style of rock is very high intensity, in your face. Lyrically this seems more like punk rock than metal, although the riffs are clearly more closely related to Black Sabbath than they are to Black Flag. A kind of hybrid. But the vocal style is flat out awful. AWFUL!! Then they throw in the native chanting and Brazilian rhythms in the midst of all the head-banging hatred, and we’re supposed to go, “Ooh! Culture!” The 13-minute long bullshit at the end was completely unnecessary. The album was already an hour long and they throw this shit into the end, for what? I realize Sepultura is a high band, worldwide. It has no appeal for me, however. I’ll find my head-banging elsewhere.

Not Sepultura's best album it's still really great. This gives me hope that their other albums will be on the list of 1001 albums you have to listen to. Roots really show a drift from Sepultura's previous style but manages to keep the aggressiveness. There's some really great songs like Roots Bloody Roots and Cut-throat. The creativeness and the production is impressive.

Too much growl yelling for me!

Hi ha bandes que saben portar les fronteres d'un génere més enllà, i ho saben fer bé. El thrash metal no és un génere senzill de flexibilitzar, però els brasilenys, després de sublimar-ho amb 'Chaos A.D.', van ser capaços de donar una nova volta de rosca i introduir elements folk a base sobretot de percussió i veus, trobant una nova fita en la seva carrera i al thrash, per segon cop consecuitiu

Up there with the best metal albums Iv heard, was close to giving this 5 stars, but it’s just a little on the long side and maybe just too intense for my tastes. But a brilliant album none the less.

From the first words, I simply cannot take this seriously. This music needs to cast a little more of a spell before it dives into "ROHTS! BLOODY ROHTS!" I'm giggling from the outset. 'Ratamahatta' came around and I was still sort of bemused by it all. On 'Dusted', it ain't gettin' any better. This guy seems very upset. I'll tell you what, a lot of the vocal performance here made me laugh. This probably isn't for me and I'm definitely not keyed in to whatever this is supposed to be doing. Good playing, though? There's a brief respite with Itsari - that was pretty enjoyable! Then we dive right back into the angst. I checked out at the beginning of 'Canyon Jam'. Sepultura did not earn another 12 minutes of my life.

Interesting one, this. Good, weighty riffs that feel adjacent to nu-metal, but agree with the observation that the sound cleaves closer to an act like Helmet. I really appreciate the attempt to meld sounds from indigenous cultures with heavy metal. It can become a little obtuse, as on 'Canyon Jam' (though I did appreciate its atmosphere) but most of the time it put me in mind of Dr John's debut, which featured all manner of voodoo-inspired whoops and whistles. Who made the better syncretic shamanic album? Dr John, for sure. Can you headbang to 'Gris Gris'? A tough ask. Can you blast the dandruff to Roots? Absolutely

Fundamental para minha formação com o peso do rock.

Great album. Great sound. Great power. Had a lot of fun listening to it.

I appreciate the use of traditional music styles. Particularly the extended track at the end. Vocals were too repetitive however.

Oh goodness ! Well you wouldn’t expect me to love it. Having said that it wasn’t as bad as I expected. 2*

OK. A bit samey. I remember some of the songs very well and the rest is a bit filler.

guttural screamy metal isn't really my fav. I used to love these guys when i was a kid but now, I can really pass on them.

color me impressed! first, sepultura goes *so* hard in every single song--it's hard to imagine them being any more metal than they are. they aren't music to relax to, but damn, it's some good rage music. but the inclusion of their brazilian heritage is what stands out! the combination of the two is absolutely marvelous. there have been previous albums on this list or otherwise that have borrowed (a not so nice word is stolen) musical influences, themes, instruments, styles, etc. from other native cultures. but as far as i can tell, sepultura created this album respectfully with the brazillian indigenous people's encouragement. the influence isn't over the top, but the chants, flutes, forest sounds every so often add to the general ambience. it took me several hours after listening to this album to realize i am reminded of system of a down! that's a wonderful compliment in my world. i'm looking forward to coming back to this album again! 🤘

This album was a really nice surprise. I enjoyed the metal elements, but what really caught me was the blending of traditional Brazilian tribal and folk musics into the metal sound. I have no doubt that these inclusions contributed to my enjoyment of this album. At the time that this album came out, it was probably unlike anything Americans had ever heard and no doubt influenced metal music to move forward with more world music sounds. This is also the kind of metal where there's plenty of yelling but not TOO much yelling; you can still pick up on some of the lyrics. Dictatorshit went a big far into the "thrash" realm for me, but fortunately it was short and sweet. Canyon Jam was an incredibly bold finisher, leaning even more heavily into the tribal side of things and away from metal. It was a move that worked well, though, as it seals the album with a bit of mystery and intrigue. Simply put, this album is a killer celebration of heritage crafted inside of the realm of metal music, where the band shines best. It just works.

notes - chat pile cover - brazilian band that blends traditional brazilian rhythms and percussion into metal music - metalcore, nu metal elements - a great blend between control and just raw energy - the vocals in particular still sound fantastic fav - roots bloody roots - Classic song - Catchy riffs and vocals while still being super heavy when it needs to be least fav - Endangered species - Some of the weaker lyrics on the album, and the instrumental sounded like a rerun of some stronger songs on the album album definitely couldve been cut down by a couple songs, but still a 4/5

So outside of my comfort zone. So interesting.

Wow, this certainly shook the cobwebs off this morning! I've heard of Sepultura but never listened to them until now. What a great surprise! Incredible amounts of energy and anger here, but also much more melodic than I expected. I always imagined they were more in the "unintelligible-gutterally-screamed-lyrics" sort of territory. I've only listened as far as Itsári so far, this is another long album from this generator. That seemed a good place to take a break. I'd give an 8/10 so far. Finished the rest of the album, it did not disappoint! Although the 13 minute long meditation style song at the end may have been a bit unnecessary, still a solid 8/10 for me that I will definitely come back to.

I saw Roots and thought it was going to be reggae and queued this for my run. Big mistake. The general sort of feel of threat was quite motivating for the running but I also then couldn't stop to get away from it. I'm sorry but I just can't with this kind of music. I like that it is men being passionate and expressing themselves but honestly... Eugh. Just grim. Cannot believe I listened to all 72 mins of this

Blaaaaaah, at first thought 'this is okay actually' but it's just too much, I can sustain interest

Cannot feel the energy on this one. Just do not like the main singers voice, production isn’t good enough to carry it, but definitely respect it if someone likes this. Not my kind of music and I’ve heard better

not as thrashy as I’d have liked because that is the metal that I prefer. I can tell that this is objectively good music but it isn’t my cup o tea

Well… after three pieces, I’ve decided this is NOT an album I have to listen too before I die.

2/10. There'd be a lot of songs that sounded kinda cool, and then the vocals would kick in and it just sounded like shit. Was relieved that the really long song at the end didn't sound much like the rest of the album.

Some of life’s great unanswered questions: where what happened in Roanoke? How does Dr. Bronner fit 18 uses in one soap? Why did Sepultura end this album with a 13-minute long ambient cricket tin can percussion song? 3/10

It was good, but wasn't in the mood for this type of music at the time of listening so it put me on edge

No

No thanks. Not my style

Heavy, heavy. A lot of screaming haha. I saved a few songs (Roots Bloody Roots, Ratamahatta, Straighthate)

My journey with Brazilian music has really decentered how I think about western music vs. 'world music.' When taken with the history of Brazilian music, 'Roots' actually fits in rather well. It's an album of a primarily western genre (metal) that subverts the genre to serve as the medium to carry a message that elevates their heritage and in this case, the heritage of the indigenous Xavante who feature prominently on this album. The music itself is a great nu-metal, groove-metal, death-metal fusion that never looses its pull. The lyrics celebrate the self, one's roots if you will, and of course remark on the political and social structure of Brazil. The only drawback is the length.

I might‘ve outgrown this type of music. Used to love it when it came out but nowadays i cannot even make it through the whole thing

Metal music with melody and instrumentation beyond the basics. Not usually my genre of choice but it was enjoyable

Clássico eterno

"Roots" is the sixth studio album from Brazilian heavy metal band Sepultra and the last one with vocalist and rhythm guitarist Max Cavalera. I was expecting a lot to hate about this album. Oh, and there is a lot of hate in this album but I actually found quite a bit to like. It figures. Sepultra is classified as both groove and nu metal. I think that's what scared me is that I don't like most nu metal. I heard both but more in the groove metal category which is more tuned-downed guitars, slower tempo and screeching/raspy lyrics (Pantera). This album continues where their album "Chaos AD" left off with slower and more latin tempos and goes further into Brazilian music rhythm and textures. The band actually went into the rainforest to write and record with the indigenous Xavante people which had a major influence to the lyrics and music. The percussion and rhythms are definite highlights in this album. The assault starts with their first single as well, "Roots Bloody Roots." Grinding, nu metal guitar. Great guitar solo and percussion. Angry, angry, angry...about saving culture. The second song and single "Attitude" continues the anger but starts off acoustically. Massive drumming. The later-song guitar is more in the groove metal area which I liked better than the previous song. The third and final single "Ratamatta" has chanting in Portuguese, multiple and tribal-type percussion and appearances by Korn drummer David Silveria and Brazilian singer/musician Carlinhos Brown. No let down on the second half of the album. Both "Born Stubborn" and "Ambush" hit hard with the guitars, percussions and themes of culture and the environment. Maybe the most interesting song on the album is "Itsári" recorded with the Xavante people...huge percussion, tribal chanting and a sitar. There is a lot going on in this album. It is hard and loud, definitely not for everyone. I am not big fan of either nu metal or groove metal but this album especially adding the percussions and added rhythms has to one of if not the best in that category for me.

At times, under all the angry shouty man stuff, there's some interesting things going on at times.

I get that it's significant, but christ, edit that shit.

Rating: 6/10 Best songs: Born stubber

Not really digging this. I know it's kind of an old album but the production is so muddy and the vocals are not good. I love metal, harsh vocals aren't a deal-breaker but bad harsh vocals are. I'd rather just listen to Korn.

Raw fury!

Klikkuð plata. Ekki mörg ár síðan ég kynntist henni, en fíla hana í tætlur.

A better produced album with more songwriting than noise like their earlier work. It also includes acoustic and worldly deviations which gives the album more in dynamics and structure. However, far too long of a runtime.

This was just too "metal" for me. Too drums-focused and noisy and too little singing/too much screaming and growling

All the stars aligned to make this a perfect Monday morning album. Sounds counter intuitive but for some reason it all fell into place perfectly and set me up for a solid week.

This album was very good… once the monster voice metal stopped. Otherwise not.

Abso-fucking-lutely. Just a great, strong, heavy album. I am totally in love with the plethora of percussion instruments on this record; the breakdown for "Breed Apart" did NOT need to go that heavy, but I'm glad it did. Praise aside, it's a bit of a long one, and while there are flourishes of texture, it can be a little repetitive at times. Still, phenomenal album. Favorite tracks: "Breed Apart", "Ratamahatta", "Roots Bloody Roots", "Itsari"

Pretty unique for a metal album. Some central american/other elements like a didgeridoo? chanting and lighter drums like bongos or something. Didn't end up adding any songs to my Spotify just because metal isn't really my genre of choice but a couple songs had me nodding my head.

Not for me. His throat must hurt after all that primal screaming.

I have heard of them before but have never heard them before. It was a pretty rocking album for my Saturday morning walk!

Indigenous factors do not render ugly music nice

embarrassing I haven't heard it before great start to the next three years :))

Best Song: Ratamahatta. I really like the intense staccato delivery. It pairs well with the metal backing, and isn't something you often see in the genre. Close second to Itsári. Worst Song: Straighthate. I'm not a big fan of when metal artists try to cram this "edgy" lyrical content into their songs as a way to, I don't know, gain credibility? The music is heavy enough to stand on its own without the cheesy lyrics. Overall: Pleasantly surprised by this album. There was a diverse enough set of sounds to keep an album this long interesting (which isn't always the case in metal, where bands can tend to be a little one-note). I think the name "Roots" is fitting, and I most enjoyed the parts of the album where the band took inspiration from traditional/aboriginal Brazilian music. These elements felt really unique, whereas some of the more typical, English-language tracks were a bit boring.

Ugly arse cover… The album starts with roots bloody roots it’s the kinda in your face slipknot type stuff that oversteps the barrier too much the instrumentation isn’t even good enough to pass on as great. I like the effects put at the start of attitude sounds like a space tribe and the screaming gives the song a needed atmosphere but the screaming isn’t even good screaming. Cut-throat is just more viking screaming. Whereas rathamahatta is a caveman chant better and more primal that it’s predecessor. The vocals in breed apart are way too odd just either creeky or a screamy mess ( wow I hate this album). Okay something I like the first minute of straighthate is interesting instrumentally them it’s the same old shit. Actually, to prevent boredom the rush from spit to dusted all have this same nasty sound to them which I hate, some have redeeming moments where I can see other people loving this but it’s all scream mo substance. But born stubborn kinda hits with me with the rapid instrumentation, it’s a better use for the screaming, still not my kinda thing but I don’t hate it ( now that’s saved this from a 1/5). Now there is a 2 song block of instrumentals first jasco it’s not much just a short bit of folk music. But then is Itsari, well I guess it’s not fully instrumental but it’s still a stupid acoustic based chanter. But I prefer it over like 70% of this album. And the ooga booga voice is back with ambush It’s just repetitive, uninteresting and predictable. The intro to endangered species is cool but then we’re back to the same noise. I guess the spine of the album ends with dictatorshit a drum based rampager with very little guitars, it was a good try and they failed. Canyon jam isn’t worth sitting through! Without these small instrumental moments of greatness it would easily be a 1, this shouldn’t be 16 tracks long this band could only do like 10 okay and there was still some filler. Best songs= the singles Worst songs= that boring stretch in the middle that I didn’t bother reviewing properly

Wybitnie niesluchalny pick sie dzisial wylosowal, polaczenie wyjcowania z rytmami egzotyki, bo Sepultura to brazylijski zespol, ktory na albumie Roots postanowil skapitalizowac swoje egzotyczne korzenie, bo przeciez takie wycie z dalekich i dzikich krajow sprzeda sie lepiej niz typowo hamerykanskie wycie, wiec na ich szostym studyjnym krazku taka strategie wlasnie obrali, nie wiem jak wygladaja ich poprzednie czy kolejne materialy, bo ten z 96 wymeczyl mnie wystarczajaco, bo poza ultra wyjcowaniem, piekielnie oklepanym graniem i nic nie wnoszacymi wstawkami egzotycznie akustycznymi, ktore mialy zmieniac ton i budowac klimat plyty jako tego egzotyka, a jedyne co robia to rozciagaja te meke do 72 minut, a glownym oprawca w tym czterosobowym skladzie jest Max Cavalera, ktory jest tworca tekstow i glownym wokalem, a dodatkowo brzdaka na gitarze rytmicznej, to jego wycie najbardziej niszczy podczas odsluchu, jest to ten rodzaj growlowania, ze czlowiek nawet nie proboje sie zastanawiac nad tym co jest skrzeczane, wiec nijaki album o niczym, chociaz pewnie jest tam wiele nawiazan do kultury, historii, religii, czy tego co sie dzieje w jego korzeniach, bo wskazuja na to tytuly utworow, nawet jesli same teksty pozostana dla mnie zagadka nie do odszyfrowania, discog kataloguje album jako trash metal, z czym jak najbardziej sie zgodze, bo smieciowy byl to odsluch

Max to the Max.

Beaten with a Brazilian bludgeon

Cool metal. Definitely can hear the influences of Brazil in the music

Interesting to read how a death metal band incorporated indigenous Brazilian music and themes into an album to represent their heritage. Not at all for me

1996 - Heavy metal, Thrash metal, Nu metal, Hardcore punk

This is so fucking sick. Makes me want to bench press a blue whale. Heavy, but not in that annoying "SATAN BLOOD DEATH! MY PARENTS ARE GETTING A DIVORCE" kind of way (Looking at you, Slayer). Mixing the screaming and insane guitars with Brazilian tribal music somehow works incredibly well. Favorite track was either "Ratamahatta", "Endangered Species" or "Roots Bloody Roots". Honorable mention goes to the 13-minute bonus track "Canyon Jam". A 2.76 global rating? Made me think I was going to be listening to Poundland Megadeth or something.

I remember this being a thing. Not overly keen though, there's little variety.

Damn, how the first five tracks of this one SLAP! The inclusion of Latin American rhythms within some of the most uncompromising metal of those years is just seamless. From "Roots Bloody Roots" to "Breed Apart", not a second is wasted to make this fusion works. Special mention to "Ratamahatta" and its incredible featuring of percussionist Carlinhos Brown. And Ross Robinson did a hell of a job on production (better than Andy Wallace for the former Sepultura classic *Chaos A.D.*). The later inclusion of field recordings of Amazonian tribes is also very nice. Sonically and topically relevant. I just wish that seamless inclusion of Brazilian influences has worked *until the end*. The second part of the album is indeed a little more hit or miss, and loses some of its momentum through its many u-turns (there's still that somewhat atmospheric track with Mike Pattton and Jonathan Davis--but such moments are too far and between). As a result, this record might just be a little too long. So, to put it in a nutshell, *Roots* is based on an awesome concept, one that somehow renews the whole metal genre. But the second half of this album *might* just be a little lacking in terms of sheer execution. That being said, even with those minor shortcomings, it should still be included in a list of 1001 most important albums. If only because there are not many crossover albums like this in the whole metal genre, ones that can bring curious listeners from the outside without alienating its hardcore fanbase. Number of albums left to review or just listen to: 896 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 55 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 27 Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more important): 23

What a stark contrast from the other Sepultura album Arise. I haven't listened to Chaos A.D. but they dramatically slowed down their riffs, and I am now convinced nu metal is just groove metal with heavier, grungier riffs and hip hop vocals. There's a ton of Korn inspiration here, especially in "Attitude" and "Endangered Species", and in fact they were so obsessed they even got Korn to play in "Lookaway." They also incorporate Brazilian indigenous themes in the lyrics, instrumentation, and sometimes vocals as in the peculiar "Ratamahatta" or the last few tracks. It's a solid album. Production work is good. There's good mixing and nice Korn-esque effects like distortion. It's also super influential, for being one of the first albums to popularize nu metal, which of course would dominate mainstream rock for the next half decade. There's only a few highlights in the album, much like Arise. I didn't find the vast majority to be memorable. Also double album syndrome made it hardly bearable to listen to entirely. Tracks are too long, most of them going over 4 minutes. They try to spice it up near the end with more unconventional indigenous-themed tracks which does blend in well but hardly grabbed my attention. "Itsari" and "Dictatorship" are the only tracks I enjoyed after "Lookaway."

I'm polarized by metal, some of it I can get into, some I cannot.

Rattamahatta

I love this album, though a lot of that is for nostalgic reasons. They really jumped on the nu-metal bandwagon with this album, but 16 year old me didn't care about that in 1997, I just loved playing this and Chaos AD over and over. In addition to being a gateway metal album from my formative years, Sepultura was also one of those bands that kind of opened my eyes to a wider world beyond the small conservative community I grew up in. To this day, I just love Max Cavalera's voice, and Igor Cavalera varies up his drumming so much that even songs with the simplest riffs end up being some of the most dynamic.

I had heard this before and it didn't really click, but I enjoyed it more this time. I'd say it is a little long for no good reason, and it would be better if it were like 40 minutes instead of 70.

Heavy and groovy as fuck with some great touches of Latin music to make it stand out more than your standard nu-metal. It's a bit on the long side but I had a great time with this!

I understand the controversy behind this album. Nu metal has always been derided (tbh, including by myself) and this must have seemed like a sellout move for Sepultura. But I’ve always erred on the side who considers this revelatory. I don’t think Max Cavalera was chasing trends, but he genuinely has always been a guy who has had his pulse on the current scene and likes to follow course in his own way. Look at Soulfly’s recent material for an example. When the album embraces their literal roots and adds Brazilian influences, it’s a triumph. But it goes on for way too long- the CD era had to die for a reason. Even as someone who still likes CDs and uses them, I definitely do not miss the desire to fill a disc of material. This would be a good bit better if it was at least a brisk 50 minutes. B-

The best Sepultura album. The way it mixes thrash metal with the groove elements is still unparalleled.

It’s still pretty good (better than I remember), but it’s still ridiculously long for a nu metal record. 3.5

What an album!

Not bad, I do like me a, in this case, Brazillian twist. This one didn't grab me as much as Arise but I believe it's on the list because it's the last Max album. Anyway, fave, Canyon Jam

Is the ridiculous growl supposed to be masculine or something? It's awful. Best track: Jasco

Not for me.

Eh. It's not for me but it's a very good example of what it is. It certainly didn't offend me.

Never liked this type of rock derived from Zeppelin a/o Sabbath (as the band biography indicates). But, understand why a band like this was formed is interesting. Some info from wikipedia Sepultura (Portuguese: [ˌsepuwˈtuɾɐ], "grave")[1] is a Brazilian heavy metal band from Belo Horizonte. Formed in 1984 by brothers Max and Igor Cavalera, the band was a major force in the groove metal, thrash metal and death metal genres during the late 1980s and early 1990s, with their later experiments drawing influence from alternative metal, world music, nu metal, hardcore punk, and industrial metal. Sepultura has also been credited as one of the second wave of thrash metal acts from the late 1980s to early-to-mid-1990s.

I listened to Sepultura at the gym, which was a good place to listen to it. I didn't mind it, good in places (Straighthate, Spit, Born Stubborn especially) but again, when I'm listening to metal of this style I want a little more nuance and skill to it. Maybe I've been spoiled by Avatar. Anyway, 3/5.

I was hoping this would be an album called Sepultra by the Roots. It wasn't. I'm not a fan of screaming metal at all really (although one of the plus points of this singer was that it was relatively easy to understand the lyrics). Still, this genre of music has never done anything for me really, and this album has done nothing to change that. 1/5.

vai brasil caraio 💪💪 só força

For a genre I don't normally listen to, this slaps. Can deny the talent of the band.

Not nearly as over the top as I remember it being. It's actually quite melodic in places. It's still too much for me really, but I can appreciate it's a very well made album and at the forefront of 90s thrash metal. It does its thing very well, its thing isn't for me though.

Pas un fan du genre mais j'ai apprécié l'écoute Pour moi c'est vraiment l'aspect roots, les éléments de musiques traditionnelles et field recordings, qui m'ont plus Le disque est bien réalisé et les jams de percs et autres interludes rendent ça digeste pour les non-amateurs de métal comme moi mettons. Il y a de quoi que j'ai jamais compris dans les sons de bass métal. All clank and noise pis pas de fondamentale de la note. Même en solo on a peine à distinguer qu'est-ce qu'y joue....🤔

Pas mon genre, pas super intéressant, pas particulièrement drette et agressant en plus. Y’a du ben meilleur métal que ça.

Chaos A.D. et Roots sont les deux plus gros albums de Sepultura. Sur Chaos A.D., une signature commence à apparaître avec un métal plus rhythmique. À l'époque où j'écoutais des bands comme Metallica, Slayer et Pantera, Chaos A.D. avec ses chansons Refuse/Resist et Territory amenaient de la nouveauté dans le genre. Roots, l'album qui a suivi, est selon moi leur album le plus authentique avec une plus grande place aux éléments culturels du groupe. C'est ce qui en fait sa force. On a un son aussi vraiment plus lourd avec le tuning plus grave. L'album est un peu long, mais c'est un classique que j'aime revisiter. Pièces préférées: Roots Bloody Roots, Ratamahatta

Noise, plain and simple. Nothing redeeming here. F

Didn't get very far in. I really struggle with this genre, can't really differentiate one band from another.

Oh heck no…

I respect it but not my type

This was a somewhat enjoyable listen for me, which is saying a lot considering my general feelings regarding metal. Vocals aside (I'm not into them and the lyrics aren't much better), the guitars were rad. Especially on the tracks that weren't as...heavy.

aw shit, first Pantera now this yeah this album really has nothing special about it for me, I fucking hate trash metal I talk about it more on the Vulgar Display of Power review, shits just ass in my ears, 2/10

Creative within extraordinarily narrow parameters. When everything word has to be growled and every instrument beat to shit, there's only so much you can do. They do most of it really well, and it's still tired after track two.

Really solid metal album

Death metal - unlistenable rubbish.

4.7 - Wow, I had very low expectations for this (yet another nu metal album?!) but I actually think it's amazingly innovative. Somehow the fusion of indigenous Brazilian beats and instruments, corny and misguided as it may look on paper, actually comes together and provides for some amazing moments. I especially love the instrumentals "Jasco" and "Itsari" that act as a sort of intermission in the middle of the record. Unlike other nu metal records I've listened to, this one is almost absent of the "I-hate-my-stepdad-and-want-to-kill-everything" vibe. Instead, Sepultura takes on headier topics such as civic disobedience ("Ambush" and "Dictatorshit") and ecological decline ("Endangered Species"). The record ends on a high with "Canyon Jam", a drum circle that sounds like it was recorded in the middle of the Amazon under the moonlight.

In my opinion, Roots is not just an album by a mature ensemble, but an avant-garde work whose songs are well thought out. (7/10) FT: Roots Bloody Roots, Ratamahatta

OK, I made it through song 9 and I've heard enough. Death metal just ain't my thing and this didn't help. It's listenable, barely, just barely. 1.5stars rounding to 2.

Ces métalleux ont passé les trois quarts de l'album à danser autour d'un feu de camp dans le but d'appeler la pluie et d'assurer la protection des récoltes... En un mot : insuffisant.

Non content de nous avoir cassé les oreilles sur un premier album encore aujourd'hui considéré comme le pire album de cette liste, Sepultura revient avec un projet grandiloquant d'1h16. Malgré quelques promesses intéressantes d'un projet certes heavy metal mais digeste, Sepultura ne pourra jamais tenir l'auditeur pendant toute la durée de l'album. Pire encore, pour ajouter à leur médiocre musique, Sepultura a profité de la visite du producteur aux portails dans leur pays de résidence, le Brésil, pour l'inviter sur la dernière piste de l'album (le producteur aux portails étant présent sur place suite à sa collaboration avec Os Mutantes, voir la review de leur album). Difficile de laisser passer toutes ces erreurs, Sepultura s'en tirera néammoins avec un 2/5, soit le double de la note du très critiqué Arise.

Accomplished

I'm a big Sepultura fan and I listened to this just a few days ago in the car. So not actually going to listen again today... although coincidentally, as I load this project today I'm watching a live video of them from 1996 and tons of Roots material is on it, so eh. Normally I'd rate it in relation to the rest of Sepultura's (Max-era) catalogue and it'd get a 2 or 3; compared to their previous albums it's too long and half the songs have a dumb jam feel to them. When it came out I wasn't surprised it sounded like it did, but I was still disappointed - I knew there was zero chance it'd sound like Arise, but I was hoping it'd be more like Chaos AD than it was. The nu-metal sound was just everywhere, all my favourite bands seemed to be doing the mid-90s in a way I didn't like and I remember hearing Roots and thinking "oh for christ's sake, Sepultura as well?" These days I like it more than I did in 1996 (and the title track has always been A+) but it's still at the bottom end of their catalogue. I gave up on Sepultura after this album, simply because Max left the band and the album after it was just crap. I do have to give Kisser, Paulo and Green a tip of the hat because they've stuck at it for so long since, and their last album is actually really good, but I'm just a Cavalera tragic at heart. Roots was basically end of the line for me. But then again, compared to the absolute SHIT this project throws at me 6 days per week, Roots is a fucking masterpiece. I'm not judging it by other Sepultura albums today; I'm rating in comparison to the same late 60s folk/pop/rock yawnfests I hear over and over every day. And on that scale, Roots gets a 5/5.

I recognise the power and the uniqueness of this band, but it really is a godawful racket.

I haven’t heard Sepultura since high school, and I forgot how great they sounded.

Hard to make up my mind about this one. I don't like the local delivery but I do like some of the riffs. Death/Thrash metal isn't really my bag, but it did have some parts I enjoyed. Does it stand up for inclusion on this list, hmmm dunno

Music is pretty good if a little hard for my tastes. The raw guttural screaming that passes for singing is just not to my taste. I have to admit that musically there's some pretty impressive playing. 2.5

Heavy and without the chaotic non-sense nosebleed-causing ruckus of other hardcore/metal bands, "Roots" is that dirty clean type of metal where the growling and screams might actually have an intelligible word here and there. In this reviewer's experience, metal generally was a pre-game music choice or something to encourage aggressive focus. Sepultura's "Roots" fits that bill. Melodic and heavy, the sounds/songs are progressive and orderly, yet when it is time to go a bit harder, so is the listener. While Sepultura certainly does not stand alone in achieving this kind of balance between the chaotic expression of metal and the demanding order of focused aggression, it should stand out that they do it very well.

Unlistenable. Could be genre bias.

Demasiado cañero

Incrível! Ainda mais sabendo que é de uma banda brasileira - e de Minas Gerais! Um estilo que pouco conheço, mas que me agradou bastante. O álbum tem referências indígenas belíssimas (aliás, a última faixa é um deleite). Ouvirei de novo.

Rooots!

Auténtico thrash con toques de tribus brasileñas. Cañero, guitarrero y con mucha percusión.

I guess it is for someone, but not for me.

Not my stuff

Sorrý, ég bara skil ekki þessa tónlist. Mér finnst þetta ekki "bara hávaði", en svo stór hluti af þessu er hávaði sem drekkir hinu sem vel er gert. Tvö söngvaralaus lög í seinni partinum, Jasco og Itsári, eru áheyrileg, en restin rennur saman í eitt. Svaka orka bla bla ..., en ég nenni þessu ekki.

Contagious brazilian joy of life

Hurts my ears! Ratamahatta is quite an interesting track with the drums

The music was tight. Impressive drums, instrumentals and tribal percussions. Pretty strong vocals with mostly intelligible lyrics. Interludes/extro add a different pace with itsari, canyon jam.

Nope

Adding berimbau and other traditional Brazilian instruments goes a long way towards covering up the faint whiff of nu metal that otherwise might have turned me right off... Fave track - love the swivel eyed mania of "Ratamahatta"! "Roots Bloody Roots" is also a tune...

not for me. Interesting to capture melody as a distinct element of thrash metal. Still, merely a curiosity for me, I don't think I could warm to this. Rating here is purely subjective.

I've listened to about 70 albums of the 1001. This is my biggest discovery yet. Once I got used to the screaming I was amazed by the guitar work. There's a lot of "the prodigy" vibes. So many great riffs I often wish they would repeat them more often. Then the latin folk mix in Ratamahatta got me convinced fully. I even showed to my wife and kids who also digged it. Not sure we would listen to it as a family but they "got it". Highlight: Bloody Roots, Ratamahatta, Jasi/Itsari, Canyon Jam.

Screamo is a no from me dog

J'ai arrêté à la première

I would've liked this when I was 12.

Definitely a stand out for the genre and I enjoyed it. Very long though.

Au debut je n'étais vraiment pas certain d'écouter l'album, car je ne feelais pas trop pour du Black / Death Metal mais l'album est bon et après chaque tounes, j'avais envie d'écouter la suivante. Les riffs sont bon et le son de la guit est malade. Juste le chant qui est un peu too much pour moi à la longue. Probalement que je n'écouterai pas les 1h12 de l'album mais c'est une belle experience. 4.10

Het begint met het typische "stofzuiger" geluid van de rockmuziek. Afschuwlijk. Na megadeath in een tijd van leuke TOP 2000 nummers, kan ik helaas niet anders dan wederom 1 ster uitdelen. Misschien is "Ratamahatta" dan een ietwat grappig? En dan strijk ik nog met mijn hand over het hart. *

I enjoy the tribal chants and percussion but nu-metal/groove metal has never done it for me. I wish they would have stuck with their sound from the first 2 albums and worked the tribal elements I and that.

There are some interesting things happening rhythmically here and the riffs are pretty heavy and fun, but I just can't cope with the vocals. The older I get the more trouble I have with such abrasion. The gutteral shrieks and howls just turn me off.

Definitely not my vibe

Never given this band a proper listen before, and dismissed them at noise. Glad it has appeared on my list and I’ve given them a proper bit of attention. Impressive control, tempo and rhythms, and clever use of dynamics and multiple percussion instruments to keep things interesting. I still don’t quite get the vocal style but the musicality is great and I really enjoyed trying this from start to finish. Top tracks: Ratamahatta, Breed Apart

Quite fun and listenae

Really good.

So much metal in this list. I have nothing else to say about Sepultura. The appearance of Latin influences in some of the music were welcome relief but I just find the croak/growl shouting pointless and intolerable.

The opening of Roots Bloody Roots promised so much, yet as soon as the vocals started it was a big fat no for me. A shame as potentially some bangers with the guitar riffs but I couldn't persevere with vocals that sound like a cat being dragged bum first over a sandpaper covered rasp.

Repetitive black metal, a few moments and a couple of “please can’t we play something else?” tracks.

I really liked some of the songs, but this album is just too long. I can only take so much screaming at once. That being said, the music is top notch. I really like the musicians and the Brazilian roots really shine. Truly fantastics musicality. 2.5/5 but rounding up to 3/5 for great music. The screaming just is too much.

I thought this was going to be an album by The Roots. Imagine my surprise.

Ok This is so fucking good. Best Metal album yet! Holy Shit so much creativity. And the energy is absolutely off the charts, would love to mosh to these guys.

Nope, not for me. Really surprised this band has two albums on this list. Their music is strong, but I can’t get with the vocals.

This sounds like the granddaddy of metal but very current. I'm impressed, though it's not my typical listen.

lol no, I’m not listening to that for an hour.

19. Roots - Sepultura. 16 Tracks. Some of the instrument playing is really good, but the vocals are just more shouting I'm afraid. It's a half step up from Slipknot, but only a half step. It's just noise to me with some shouty bloke who needs a throat lozenge.

i want to but i just can't

Sepultura \m/

нет.

Musikgenren er ikke ligefrem. Dog kan jeg godt høre kvaliteten i den. Generelt er stemmen ret irriterende og musikken for hurtigt. 3 stjerner

It's anyways tough for me to get past screaming vocals, but when I was able to, there was some very interesting stuff happening on this album rhythm and instrumentation wise.

Intense, relentless, piercing sound. Brutal, guttural-to-screaming vocals. Cathartic, angry lyrics. I enjoyed the use of Latin and indigenous musics, which pushes this creatively to a level beyond what I expected, particularly on the back half of the album. The closed it out nicely with "Canyon Jam." Overall hard on the ears, and not really my genre of choice, but this is a well made album. Glad I gave it a chance. Fave Songs: Breed Apart, Ratamahatta, Jasco, Itsari

i'm not really enjoying this. it isn't bad i'm just not enjoying it.

While I’ve never been a fan of Death Metal I have to say I was impressed with the range displayed on this album, no doubt influenced by the many guest musicians who contributed. The Brazilian rhythms really added a unique context. Roots exceeded my expectations.

I like the musicality of the band, but I have never been a fan of death growl vocals. So it was really difficult for me to get past that.

I admit that death and thrash metal is a bit of a guilty pleasure. I don't love the screaming but I love the frenetic guitar playing and booming bass lines. So Roots Bloody Roots hooked me in, and the singing made me wonder if I should stay hooked. Another issue with this genre is that it all kind of sounds the same. And I don't just mean this album - yes, some songs sound similar to each other but also to so many other Slipknot, Disturbed, etc. albums. Mixing in some Brazilian / Latin music (and bongos!) gives some songs a different feel, but absent those features it can get monotonous. Ratamahatta was pretty unique actually with its use of Brazilian sounds; didn't always love it, but kudos to the band for doing something different. Conversely, I really liked the mix of thrash and Brazil in Breed Apart, but the final moments with distortion was truly irritating. Loved the music in Straighthate, needed some melody somewhere though. Got kind of monotonous from there for about 5 songs. Jasco and Itsari changed it up with some nice acoustic, almost classical Spanish guitar playing. Showed a bit of chops there. Good album as far as death metal goes, need less screaming though.

I'm not into the nu metal genre and this is the first time I've listened to Sepultura. This album was pretty good at times and I especially like some of the exotic rhythms that the band used on multiple tracks. They seemed to be trying to do something different here which is always a risk because you don't know how fans are going to react. One of my criticism (apart from the growling vocals which isn't my thing) is that the band seemed to do the one thing that a lot of bands in that era did and that is fill up the entire CD. I think they would've benefited a lot by taking at least 2 tracks off and making a better overall album. Dusted and Born stubborn could easily have been bonus tracks or used on an E.P. It would have been a 4 star album but I think it's length makes me drop it down to 3.

The songs definitely have a cool metal groove. Some of it is the stuff nightmares are made of. I don't mind some growling, but this was a little much for me. Wish I could hear this with a singer who wasn't constantly screaming because the music is pretty awesome. Giving it a 3 but would have given it a 4 with less screaming.

So angry with good flow.

Tried really hard to like it. Love the concept, don't mind a bit of metal if well done. But this was faaaarrrr tooo long and repetitive. Best tracks broke out from the mould (canyon jam and the tribal one).

The vocals are so clear in this mix. i think its because the kick drum is so soft on the attack. Roots, Bloody Roots has my attention. Ratamahatta is a real cool groovy. Ambush has some classic hardcore metal gang vocals. I feel like I am obligated to take off a star because of a 12+ minute album closing canyon jam session, though one of the instruments is a gun?

Far too screaming

Very Loud, Very hard, Has a great sound, but you really have to be in the mood for this kind of music to enjoy it. First time hearing this band or the album. 2/5 for me.

Nope

Roots Bloody Roots - So, how is this on this list? Hilariously has a verse that sounds like the heavy metal version of Elevation by U2. Attitude - I Cut Throat - Hate Ratamahatta - This (this one is kind of funny though) Breed Apart - Album StraightHATE this album.

Love it! Roots bloody roots! Not my favorite Sepultura album (chaos ad), but still very good with cool tribal influence

Not usually into metal, but I thought I would try this one out because its from Brazil. Not a fan of the whole Screaming vocal style, but there are some really interesting moments here (the final track is a standout for me), which I think place it a cut above other metal albums that Ive listened to. Closer to a 3.5, but I just cant take the screaming vocals seriously.

Musically ok but just cannot cope with the vocals

I love the grooves. I never thought I could hear something so 90s

I enjoy metal. This wasn't bad

Metal tira pedos

Brutal, physical attack music. Some cool blends of tribal rhythms and rock grooves. Won't be riding further in the Sepultura train though, as it's too aggressive and tuneless for my ears.

Roooooots bloody roooooooooots

- Strong concept and sound. - Overstays welcome with somewhat repetitious energy - No musicianship flair in the solos - Pioneering but not quite timeless

heavy

Waaaay too heavy

Heavy nu metal from my childhood, enjoyed this, deffo reminded me of being an angst riddled teenager

Unlistenable

Only listened to one song. I like it okay but it’s also pretty NuMetal and that isn’t really my thing

Liked it for the most part, would prefer less throat screaming. 3.5

Not my favorite.

This album goes through so many different subtle changes in metal genres. Great Album. Some tracks don't hit as well as others though.

Pretty good, mostly. Couple of songs I could've skipped and not missed much, but pretty good.

Pretty heavy, some tribal themes. Liked some of the songs but not others

Brazilian heavy metal. Loud, aggressive, precise, definitely virtuosic. But despite all their rage, I just don’t feel the music.

One of the more unique yet intense metal albums I've heard. Their Brazilian roots are incorporated into the music in such a fun, clever way! It was cool to hear!

Some interesting fusion moments but still not my thing. 6.7/10

The mix of thrash with Brazilian instruments is interesting but overall not my thing. Took some points off for the length of the album

Pretty solid metal with a cool Brazilian influence!

A fantastic blend of traditional Brazillian music into groove and nu metal. Even a little death metal influence in there. I haven't listened to this record in a very long time, I forgot how much I loved it.

Ah, now we're talking. Compared to other albums here, we'd need a truckload of stars to make this album justice. Damn good stuff

.

I'm too old for Nu Metal.

Groovy fucking metal. This hits hard with a sound that sits at home.

2.5 metal is not for me

Le tengo cariño a este disco, fue un regalo que me hicieron y lo escuché bastante en su momento. Sigue sonando bien la mezcla de Metal y toques étnicos. Desde "Roots Bloody Roots", "Ratamahatta", "Breed Apart", "Born Stubborn", "Jasco" hasta "Itsári" hay un mosaico de guitarras y percusión de otro nivel.

ROOOOOOOOTS BLOODY ROOOOOOTS

I didn't like this, but it was interesting. Metal but mixed with some tribal/latin kind of beats.

Some of the heavy metal guitar riffs are tasty but the screaming vocals are just a non starter for me - I don't relate to that aggressive intensity and it's not pleasing to my ear.

Used to listen to this and Chaos AD with some friends in high school. A most unique fusion of musical elements and influences. I dare say one of the most creative and adventurous metal albums of all time. An album that brings the modern and traditional together in a deep and meaningful way.

I don't necessarily dislike Death Metal, and it's cool that they are from Brazil. Beyond that, it feels very typical heavy metal, a bit uninspired for me. Then again, I'm not a metalhead so :shrug:.

No thanks

Screaming is not great. Guitar sound is ok. Best song was an acoustic track.

Couldn't get through it.

Not bad, I didn't know them so much.

actually better than I expected. Not that great though. Average.

Well, I've never really been a fan of the atonal screaming metal vocals. I just don't feel like they add anything to the music. Apart from that, this is a pretty cool album. It has a lot of the elements of nu metal instrumentals without feeling completely shitty and soulless like so much of that music does. The traditional Brazilian influence does a lot for this album in terms of adding substance. It slowly seems to stop being a metal album and becomes a Brazilian folk music album 4/5

‘You’re probably gonna think I’m crazy, but I’d like to record a concept record and it’s gonna be recorded with the Brazilian tribes’ - Max