Next up we are going to take a look at the band Soulfly. Now in case you aren’t aware, this is the band that Max Cavalera started after leaving Sepultura and if you don’t know who Sepultura are then go do your research. So here we go…..
Soulfly- so after Max left Sepultura, he formed Soulfly with Cello Dias on bass, Roy Mayorga on drums, and Jackson Bandeira on second guitar. This album also has guest musicians such as Fred Durst (Limp Bizkit), Burton C. Bell, Dino Cazares, and Christian Olde Wolbers (Fear Factory), and Benji Webbe (Skin Dred). This album is the album that should’ve been the follow up album to Sepultura’s Roots. It incorporates tribal music, and other world elements as well as the thrash and some death metal elements. Now I’ve heard that and seen this album get lumped into the Nü Metal category but this is definitely not a Nü Metal album in anyway shape or form. This is a great and varied debut album and I give it 10/10
Standouts: Tribe, Quilombo, Fire
Primitive- this is one of those albums that picks up from where first album left off only speeds things up. Here we have guest musicians Tom Araya, Chino Moreno, and Corey Taylor as well as some group called Cutthroat Logic. I remember actually buying this one at Warehouse Music in Simi Valley and couldn’t take it out of my CD player it was that good. There are just so many good songs in this record and it’s no wonder that they went on Ozzfest for this one and the last one. It should be noted that Logan Mader became the touring guitarist for the last album but it was Mikey Doling who played on this album as well as Joe Nunez playing drums in this album. Anyway, if you haven’t checked this,out (although most reading these reviews probably have) then do so right away. I give it another 10/10
Standouts: Bring It, Son Song, Mulambo
3- now for awhile, I had heard and read the reviews on this album not being very goo and I must say that for the longest time, I only pretty much listened to the first couple songs. After listening to this I have to say that this is a pretty good follow up. I’m actually not sure why this one didn’t do as well as Primitive because this is a really good album. My only complaint is that at times, the album does seem a bit uneven but other than that, it’s a fantastic album. Line up wise, Roy Mayorga is back on drums and this would be the last album to feature Cello Dias on bass and Mikey Doling on second guitar. I wish they’d play more from this album live. I give this one 9.5/10
Standouts: Downstroy, Seek N Strike, One Nation
Prophecy- ok so here we have a new lineup. This lineup consists of Marc Rizzo ( Ill Niño) on second guitar, Joe Nunez on drums, and Bobby Burns (Primer 55). One thing about this album is that this has two bass players and the other one being none other than David Ellefson from Megadeth who plays on like 4 tracks. You can even see him playing bass in the video for the song Prophecy and not to take anything away from Bobby Burns but I think it would’ve been really cool to have him play on the entire album. There is even a great cover of In the Meantime by Helmet. Regardless, this album is another solid album and one of my favorites. I give this one 9/10
Standouts: Defeat U, Moses, Living Sacrifice
Dark Ages- this one seems to go back to Max’s thrash roots and I will say that this sounds like it could be a Sepultura record. And of course the world elements are still there they just aren’t as present on here as some of their other albums. There are also another good amount of guest musicians on here too. We have Kerry King, David Ellefson, and Billy Milano (S.O.D./M.O.D.). I hadn’t heard this album in a long time and I kind of regret not seeing them on the tour for this record because I’m sure the songs from this live would’ve been awesome. I give it 9/10
Standouts: I and I, Babylon, Molotov
Conquer- this one continues in the same tradition as Dark Ages except it seems like there aren’t as many world sounds on here. It’s more of a straightforward thrash metal album. Now this is also came out the same year as Cavalera Conspiracy’s debut album so it’s almost as if Max is competing against himself. Me personally I feel like there are good moments on that album and there are good moments on this album. The guest musicians on this record are David Vincent from Morbid Angel and Dave Peters from Throwdown. Another thing to note is that there is also a cover of The Beautiful People. When I first got this album, I couldn’t make it past the first song but listening to it now, I find that it’s a better album than I initially thought but it’s just not as strong as the last couple albums. I don’t know, it just didn’t grab me like other Soulfly albums. I give it 6/10
Standouts: Rough, Doom, Paranoia
Omen- this would be the last album to feature bassist Bobby Burns and drummer Joe Nunez. As far as guest musicians go we have Dillinger Escape frontman Greg Puciato, Tommy Victor from Prong, and Igor Cavalera. Again another record that’s more of the same from the last record. This one though has some really great moments and some that are just ok. I will say though that it’s better than the last record. I give it 7/10
Standouts: Rise of the Fallen, Jeffrey Dahmer, Vulture Culture
Enslaved- if you’re looking for a death metal sounding Soulfly, then this album is the way to go. Of all the albums, this one has the most death metal elements on it. Gone are bassist Bobby Burns and instead we get Static X/Possessed/Ministry bassist Tony Campos and drummer Joe Nunez has also left the fold only to be replaced by David Kinkade from Borknagar. Perhaps the new members being on this record might’ve had something to do with it? Who knows. As usual, we get some guest musicians on here and this time we have Travis Ryan from Cattle Decapitation and Dez Fafara from Devildriver. Anyway, this one is almost like a breath of fresh air because it sounds different from the last couple of albums which were honestly starting to sound too similar. I give this one 8/10
Standouts: Gladiator, American Steel, World Scum
Savages- another album and another new member. This time drummer David Kinkade is gone and now been replaced with Max’s son Zyon. We also can hear some tribal sounds on this record which haven’t been present in awhile. As far as my thoughts on the album go, it’s not their strongest. That’s not to say that this is a bad album but at the end of the day, it’s just ok. I don’t know it seems like it’s kind of all over the place and the songs seem to drag a little bit. Overall this record is just average. I give it 5/10
Standouts: Bloodshed, Spiral, Master of Savagery
Archangel- from what I understand, when this album first came out, they played a majority of it live. So again the world elements are gone and while this is a regular thrash/death metal album, something about this one is not a retread of what’s been done before. At least for me, it doesn’t sound like Omen or Conquer. I think that maybe it’s because while musically it has that death metal and thrash metal sound to it, there is also more groove which makes the record flow a lot better. There are just a few moments that drag but the record as a whole is pretty good. I give it 7/10
Standouts: Sodomites, Titans, Bethlehem’s Blood
Ritual- some would say that the band was just going through the motions or even phoning it in and while I don’t think that’s true at all, this record is a great record and their best in awhile. That’s not to say that the other albums were bad but this one is really good. I mean maybe it’s because of the Cavalera Conspiracy albums or maybe Max was just in a different place who knows. The point being is that this is a solid album and definitely should not be skipped. It’s got the heaviness that we all like and the album has some great guests on it. I mean Randy Blythe is a guest vocalist on the song Dead Behind the Eyes. We also have Ross Dolan from Immolation as a guest on the song Under Rapture. Overall, this is a fantastic record and I give it 8.5/10
Standouts: Dead Behind the Eyes, Under Rapture, Blood on the Streets
Personally, going into this I thought all their albums after Prophecy would sound the same. I was actually pleasantly surprised that most of them have a unique sound. And while there have been numerous lineup changes, Max always manages to put out good records.
Album Rankings:
- Primitive
- Soulfly
- Prophecy
- Dark Ages
- 3
- Ritual
- Enslaved
- Archangel
- Omen
- Conquer
- Savages
Sinister Reviews 