Artist: Sepultura
Label: Steamhammer/SPV
Release Date: 8/26/03
|
|
Title: Roorback Artist: Sepultura Label: Steamhammer/SPV Release Date: 8/26/03 |
Judgment Committee Reviews | Rating |
|
2 | ||
|
3 | ||
|
3 | ||
|
|
Go to Reader Reviews | ||
Abyss's Review:
Most discerning metalheads have come to grips that this band should have packed it in long ago. Against and Nation were just plain terrible albums that did nothing but tarnish the name of the band, and if you're one of the few who truly liked those efforts your loyalty is admirable but your musical taste sucks. However, while I still can't recommend this album in any way, shape or form, I must be honest and say that it is better than I expected it to be.
"Most discerning metalheads have come to grips that this band should have packed it in long ago." Sepultura's nu-metal aesthetic remains, so if you were hoping for a return to form you're out of luck. The riffs remain simple and relatively unremarkable, but they do hit a generic type of groove that isn't completely without merit. Derrick Green really takes control of this album, and it seems he is developing into a capable frontman. His early hardcore leanings have been, for the most part, quashed, and we now find him bringing his voice into different territories. He actually sings a bit on a few of the songs, and he runs the gamut between a deep growl, to more soulful braying, through an unthreatening purr - exhibiting a wider range than I would have thought possible.
The songwriting is much better than their last few albums, but still relatively weak. "Apes of God" and "Urge" are pretty good. In overall structure they aren't much different than the other tunes on the album, but they seem more inspired from a creative point of view. "Bottomed Out" is the most interesting song on the record, sounding much like the commercial output from the Butthole Surfers. But as much as these songs show glimmers of hope, the album itself is still nothing more than generic.
"As much as some songs show glimmers of hope, the album itself is still nothing more than generic." Even the most dedicated Sepul fan out there has to admit that these guys aren't what they used to be. And in all honesty the only reason to pick this record up is to say that you still have all of the Sepultura albums in your collection. There is just way too much good shit out there to spend your money on something this mediocre. One word review: Bland.
Death's Review:
Sepultura return with their eighth studio album, Roorback. This time they're on SPV/Steamhammer Records, following the band's split with long time label Roadrunner after 2001's Nation release. Having had a chance to regroup, I was curious whether Sepultura would return with the inspired riff-laden assault of yore, of the warmed-over hardcore meets nu-metal of the post-Max Cavalera Against and Nation records. The answer? After listening to Roorback quite a bit more than I actually expected to, I think they have come out somewhere in between.
"The material is good enough not to be completely disregarded, yet bad enough not to praise or spend a lot of time with."
"This is Sepultura's best album since Roots, but ultimately it is still just an average-level release." The opening track, "Come Back Alive," exemplifies this schizophrenic approach. It is also the best Sepultura song I've heard since Cavalera left the band. Musically, it sounds like a cross between "Roots Bloody Roots" and "Arise" - downtuned, groove-y nu-metal with thrashy drums and fast-picked riffs. Lyrically, the straightforward "come back alive . . . don't end up dead!!!" refrain makes me think of troops heading into battle over in Iraq or elsewhere, played at high volumes from a speaker strapped to the top of a tank or something. This song and others on Roorback are ultimately frustrating - the material is good enough not to be completely disregarded, yet bad enough not to praise or spend a lot of time with.
There are flashes of the frenetic Sepultura energy dolloped out by the ladle-full back in the day on Roorback, but simply not enough of them. The drumming maintains the tribal feel and gets thrashy at points. There are even some guitar solos. Vocalist Derrick Green gives his best and most comfortable performance so far, and there are times when you can even tell he's a black man, showing that he is less concerned with following in Max's footsteps and more concerning with establishing a legacy of his own. He does an admirable job (I especially like his crooning on the hidden track about the microphone breaking), but ultimately it is not enough. Bottom line? This is Sepultura's best album since Roots, but ultimately it is still just an average-level release.
Hel's Review:
Once, there was a time when Sepultura was one of my favorite bands in the whole world. That was back when both of the brothers Cavalera were still in the band. A true example of the old adage, "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts," neither the Soulfly nor the Sepultura of today is even close to as good as Sepultura was back then. The new singer, who isn't new at all anymore but will always be "the new guy" to me, continues to do a fair job of filling Max's shoes vocally. That old spark just isn't there though, and I have decided to blame it on the songwriting. The stupid sounding album title doesn't help either. But, if you want to know what a "roorback" is, all you need to do is lift the CD out of the tray. A handy answer awaits you.
"Songs like 'Bottomed Out' are so bad, if they were all like that I may have seriously considered giving the album only one skull."
"On the bright side, this is better than Nation, though that's not really saying much." Glimmers of the old Sepultura can still be seen in songs like, "Come Back Alive." Hell, if the whole album was just like that song, I might have seriously considered giving it four skulls. However, songs like, "Bottomed Out," are so bad, if they were all like that I may have seriously considered giving the album only one skull. The silver lining and biggest highlight of the band is the last Cavalera standing, Igor, who will always be near the top of my list of greatest metal drummers of all time. Andreas Kisser remains an excellent guitarist, and his leads are another highlight of the record. Back in the day, the music was always attributed to the band as a whole, but this album's liner notes specifies it was Andreas, Igor, and Derrick Green ("the new guy") who did the deed. Here is yet more evidence of the intangible gap Max's departure irrevocably left in the band.
The identity crisis caused by the uneven songwriting is the album's biggest problem. If all of the songs were along the same lines as the first track, I might be shouting joyfully from the mountaintops right now. Who knows? The reality is that many of the songs are either just completely crappy, or have completely crappy parts in them. The Sepultura I once knew was musically brutal. This, well, this isn't. Too many of the songs lack the ferocious pummeling that I want from my Sepultura. On the bright side, this is better than Nation, though that's not really saying much. But, a step in the right direction is a step in the right direction, so I'll give them that third skull. Call it nostalgia if you want. Call it denial. Call it misplaced loyalty. I don't care. I just hope the next one at least shows similar improvement, if not drastic.
[- Metal Judgment Home -] [- Email Metal Judgment -]
©1999 Metal Judgment. All rights reserved.