[Sidebar] The Worcester Phoenix
October 12 - 19, 2000

[Music Reviews]

| reviews & features | clubs by night | bands in town | club directory |
| rock/pop | jazz | country | karaoke | pop concerts | classical concerts | hot links |


*** Mark Kozelek

ROCK AND ROLL SINGER

(Badman Recordings)

Mark When singer/guitarist Max Cavalera left Brazilian thrash legends Sepultura to form Soulfly a few years back, his music got slower and more eclectic. But it remained as brutal as ever, and it found him a new audience among the adrenaline-crazed Korn kiddies. Cavalera continues to explore his heritage on the second Soulfly disc, throwing all kinds of indigenous instruments and tribal drumbeats into the unapologetically aggro mix. He also turns the album into something of a new-metal all-star session, dueting with everyone from Slayer's Tom Araya to upstart rappers Cutthroat Logic. The Araya piece is loads of cross-generational metal fun, with Araya yelling "Kill!" at the end of Cavalera's lines and the band letting loose with an impromptu thrash beat for old times' sake. Downtown hipster Sean Lennon goes slumming with style on "Son Song," a psych-metal barn burner featuring a cathartic rap by Cavalera and a gorgeous keyboard outro by Lennon.

The house band is more overpowering than inventive, but Cavalera brings ample personality to the group with his righteous anger and spiritually inclined lyrics. The disc comes to a fittingly schizo conclusion, moving from the mournful piano instrumental "Soulfly II" into the Cutthroat Logic track, on which the rappers prove their gall (this being a metal album and all) by denouncing both Satan and weed in the same verse. Even more surprising is the cheesy pop chorus that shows up on the last song, "Flyhigh" -- which is sung by a female soul singer. Cavalera is serious about carving out a new direction for metal, and he's definitely on to something with Primitive.

-- Sean Richardson
(Soulfly perform this Monday, October 16, at Avalon. Call 423-NEXT.)

[Music Footer]

| home page | what's new | search | about the phoenix | feedback |
Copyright © 2000 The Phoenix Media/Communications Group. All rights reserved.