Review by Adam on April 9, 2001.

The lead singer/guitarist and co-founder or one of metal's most notable acts, Sepultura, has formed a new group and its name is Soulfly. In short, Soulfly is, more or less, a continuation of where Sepultura was going with the Roots album with Ross Robinson behind the boards once again. This time Max Cavalera has a lot of stuff to get off his chest and his anger and frustration sets the tone for this emotional musical rollercoaster.

The album begins with the track Eye For An Eye, in which Max goes off on his former bandmates from Sepultura, thus setting the pace for the rest of the record. The madness continues with the equally heavy and emotional No Hope=No Fear which, in turn, leads us into the first of several songs where Max Cavalera belts out his frustration about the murder of his step son Dana "D-low" Wells. Bleed really showcases Max's raw emotions and also showcases the song's guest star Fred Durst's true vocal talents. Before the sell out took place, Fred Durst actually sounded pretty decent believe it or not!

As the album goes on, more and more influences and musical styles shine through. The record's first instrumental, Soulfly, includes beautiful arrangements and shows a different side of the Max Cavalera we knew of before. Instead of belting out his anger in hundreds of f-words like in the song No for example, he mellows out with a number of exotic eletric and percussive instruments. There is also a guest appearance from former Dub War vocalist Benji on the standout track Prejudice.

For all the people who were worried after the split with Sepultura, you have nothing to fear. This is the same old Max you know and love. Even though he has brought quite a few friends to help him out this time around, the music remains true to the fans and that is the most important thing.

Bottom Line: If you liked the direction Sepultura was taking with the album Roots, then you will like this too!

Rating: 7.5 out of 10