Sepultura "Machine Messiah"

So you have to skip the opening track which is absolutely horrendous and drags its feet to accomplish absolutely nothing. But you'll certainly be pleased if you do. I'm glad I was patient enough to make it through it because the rest of the album is some of Sepultura's best work to date.

     Green, Kisser and Paulo are in refined form. The ultimate win is Casagrande's album debut. The energy behind the kit is certainly necessary, and at twenty years younger than the rest of the members in the group, there seems to be enough energy to avoid having a drum machine bang along with the band. "I Am The Enemy," "Iceberg Dances," "Phantom Self" and "Cyber God" are all instant thrash classics and it's great to hear the band staying true to their roots fourteen albums into their career. There's some great moments with strings, percussion, keys, and hymns being intertwined throughout and the album accomplishes so much so fast it's hard to take it all in with just one listen. The tribal elements still appear, but they're much more concise and relevant to the songs now as opposed to just randomly taking over entire tracks like they have in the past.

     This is the eighth album with Derrick and the first without Igor and Sepultura still feels awesome. While listening to this album I couldn't stop to think that alongside Slayer, they are probably one of the best thrash bands that's made it out of the eighties. Not to mention losing their iconic frontman over twenty years ago, it's great to see the band carry on in excellent form. 

     I think post Max Sepultura is some of the best stuff out there, and even though there's endless mudslinging from both parties, a reunion will never be necessary and Green still remains the right choice. The man has put so much work into this band, that for Max to even think he can claim the band is insanity. Cavalera claimed that nothing the band had put out since his departure was worth a damn, but it's obvious that the comment came from a spiteful mindset, and it's clear that Sepultura are still in a strong position to deliver a quality album. If Kisser ever takes off, we may have a problem.