Soulfly
Max Cavalera split from Sepultura in late 1996 and almost immediately formed Soulfly.

Soulfly Soulfly (Roadrunner) 1998

1. "Eye for an Eye" (3:35)
2. "No Hope = No Fear" (4:36)
3. "Bleed" (4:01)
4. "Tribe" (6:02)
5. "Bumba" (4:00)
6. "First Commandment" (4:29)
7. "Bumbklaatt" (3:52)
8. "Soulfly" [instrumental] (4:49)
9. "Umbabarauma" (4:11)
10. "Quilombo" (3:44)
11. "Fire" (4:22)
12. "Song Remains Insane" (3:40)
13. "No" (4:00)
14. "Prejudice" (6:52)
15. "Karmageddon" [instrumental] (5:44)

Max Cavalera, being the former main songwriter for Sepultura, wrote a majority of the material here, so it's no surprise that Sepultura comparison are made. Like his last release with Sepultura, "Roots," Max incorporates experimentation with Brazilian tribal drumming and rhythms and mixes it with ultra heavy metal. Also like Sepultura, the energy and agression don't let up throughout the entirety of the album. Unfortunately a lot of modern crappy influences have also crept in, including some elements of rap-core, alternative and *GAK* nu-metal.. This is evident especially when viewing the long list of guest musicians/vocalists who include: Chino Moreno from the Deftones, Fred Durst and D.J. Lethal from Limp Bizkit, Eric Bobo from Cypress Hill, and Burton C. Bell, Dino Cazares, and Christian Olde Wolbers from Fear Factory.

3 Soulfly - 3 (Roadrunner) 2002

1. Downstroy (4:24)
2. Seek 'n' Strike (4:27)
3. Enter Faith (4:46)
4. One (5:22)
5. L.O.T.M. (2:35)
6. Brasil (5:00)
7. Tree of Pain (8:20)
8. One Nation (3:42)
9. 9-11-01 (1:00)
10. Call to Arms (1:23)
11. Four Elements (4:22)
12. Soulfly III (5:00)
13. Sangue de Bairro (2:19)
14. Zumbi (6:16)

Third studio album from Soulfly. "3" seems to be a transitional album for Max & Co, riding a fence between their early nu-metal period and a thrashier sound, not unlike Max's former band Sepultura. They even record an odd reworking of Sacred Reich's "One Nation", featuring half of Sacred Reich as guest musicians. As might be expected, Soulfly also employ other influences. The album is chock full of world music influences and those Brazilian percussions. The album starts off strong with "Downstroy" and the equally punishing "Seek 'n' Strike". As a whole, however, the album isn't as strong as future records, though I find it far more enjoyable than the band's debut.

Enslaved Soulfly - Enslaved (Roadrunner) 2012

1. Resistance (1:53)
2. World Scum (5:19)
3. Intervention (3:55)
4. Gladiator (4:58)
5. Legions (4:18)
6. American Steel (4:14)
7. Redemption of Man by God (5:15)
8. Treachery (5:49)
9. Plata O Plomo (4:52)
10. Chains (7:18)
11. Revengeance (5:42)

Soulfly is led by legendary Brazilian guitarist Max Cavalera (Sepultura). My first exposure to the band was their debut on Roadrunner back in 1998. Having been a fan of Sepultura's thrash and groove metal sound, I was less than impressed with Soulfly and their attempt at the then current nu-metal sound. As such I didn't give the band another listen until "Enslaved" came in my mailbox. Not expecting much, I was pleasantly surprised when I popped the CD in. 

"Enslaved" is album number eight for the band and moves far, far away from the band's debut. In fact, "Enslaved" actually has more in common with classic Sepultura than it does nu-metal or alternative metal. The sound is built around violent and heavy riffs, blast beats, double bass, noisy guitar solos and a fair amount of groove. "American Steel" incorporates that patented Cavalera groove while still being as heavy as a loaded freight train coming at you at full speed. This song could have been on "Arise" or "Chaos A.D." and fit in perfectly. "Redemption of Man by God", a song the features guest vocalist Dez Fafara of DevilDriver, is more straight forward thrash metal. "Plata O Plomo" features flamenco guitars and lyrics sung in Portuguese. Though I haven't dug deep into the lyrics, "Enslaved" is a concept record about slavery. The album closes with a song that features some of Max's children including Richie Cavalera (vocals), Zyon Cavalera (drums) and Igor Cavalera, Jr. (vocals/guitar). The song has a slight industrial edge and closes things out nicely.

Not having heard any Soulfly for over a decade, "Enslaved" was a perfect re-introduction to the band. Now I may have to check out some of their back catalog. 

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