This year the Cavalera brothers went on tour to celebrate their album, Chaos A.D. This is my all time favorite Sepultura album. I love this record. It’s heavy, brutal, full of great ear candy moments, and the mix on it is superb. I honestly thought when I was a kid and even today, that if Sepultura had kept expanding upon this sound and style by adding just a tinge of melody, they’d have been global giants! But that’s a topic and subject for a whole other time. Instead lets focus on track one of Chaos A.D. and that is “Refuse/Resist.” There are so many great track one’s and this song is definitely one of them. The groove on this song is beyond awesome. Interestingly, “Refuse/Resist” was the fourth single to be released from this album. It’s still a live staple to this day, even in Sepultura now, as well as with Max and Igor when they tour. Another fun tidbit is the beginning intro features the heartbeat of Max’s then unborn son, Zyon, who now plays with Max in Soulfly. You really can’t go wrong with Chaos A.D. and to have “Refuse/Resist” kick it off?! Now that’s a banger!
I’ve been on a bit of a Soulfly kick as of late. I’ve got something really cool coming up that is Soulfly related but, you’ll just have to wait a moment for that! Part of what put me on this kick was my podcast co-host Justin doing a full Soulfly rewind review (which will be out on Sinisterreviews.wordpress.com shortly) and I went back through a few a few of my favorites. Also, Soulfly’s thirteenth studio album, Chama, comes out 11.24.25!! One of the albums I went back to was their seventh album, Omen. This record is an interesting one for a myriad of reasons. Logan Mader who would tour with Soulfly during the first album was the producer/engineer/mixer. Prong’s Tommy Victor lends his superb and very underrated guitar work to the song “Lethal Injection.” And the reason for this article is Greg Puciato of Better Lovers/The Black Queen/Killer Be Killed/ex The Dillinger Escape Plan, guests on the song “Rise Of The Fallen.” This track is a banger for sure. It’s got a really cool groove to it along with some great worldly textures and then you add in Greg’s vocals both aggressive and melodic and the combination is gold. Listening to this song you can hear how and why Killer Be Killed was formed. Max and Greg work like peanut butter and jelly! The picture at the top is of Greg and Max from the studio! And to end it on a positive note, this collaboration has happened live as well and it’s straight up vicious.
Soulfly with Greg Puciato- Rise Of The Fallen (LIVE):
There are times that when a band first comes on the scene people tend to be very cynical. Especially when the band is made up of teenagers. About 12 years ago, Trivium was thrust onto the heavy music scene, and was met with mixed thoughts. These kids could play their instruments and shred, but that wasn’t enough for most people. Trivium’s first couple albums Ember To Inferno, Ascendancy, and The Crusade, were barely showing the full potential of what the band could be. I first took notice of Trivium when Ascendancy came out. I bought the album and enjoyed it for what it was, a solid piece of metal, that played off the “metalcore” genre that was big at the time. I saw them twice on that cycle, and they did put on a great live show, and were very gracious and humble guys. When it came to The Crusade, I didn’t bother with it. It didn’t seem to have a sense of real depth, and it lacked a real direction of what the band was. Fast forward a few years, to a night when I was searching for something to listen to, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Trivium had put out a new album. So naturally I was curious to see and hear what they had become, and I was genuinely intrigued with what the band had become. For the first time I really thought that Trivium had come into their own.
I took the time to go back to all the albums I missed, and I have to say, since their album Shogun, Trivium has really found their sound, and honed their songwriting craft by leaps and bound. Shogun, was thrashy and heavy, with moments of melody that didn’t let it get too extreme. The follow up the very epic In Waves, is an album that really took it up a notch. You can really hear the amount of work and passion in this album. The next album Vengeance Falls, is somewhat of an experimental album for the band. They chose to work with David Draiman of Disturbed (who is a big fan of Trivium), and the results of their work turned out to be quite interesting. The vocals on the album featured a more dramatic singing approach, which seemed to have given singer/guitarist Matt Heafy, better control and understanding of what to do. Their latest album and the one that got me to listen to them again, Silence in the Snow, is everything you would hope the band could evolve into. The songwriting, playing style, vocals, lyrics and all around performance, shows a band that has really come into their own.
Trivium has defied the critics and have finally matured into a band that can really deliver. Not that they couldn’t before, but with anything, time and growth can make things that much better. I highly recommend taking a second look at Trivium.
The hardcore genre is one that has been of interest to me for a long time. There are many different sub genres within it making for some pretty spectacular bands. So it wasn’t a shock a couple years ago when I first heard about this up and coming band then called Code Orange Kids. Their blend of hardcore punk had a very Black Flag meets Converge type of vibe, and that got me really excited. Their debut Love Is Love/Return To Dust was recorded by Converge’s Kurt Ballou. This album would go on to to bring them to a whole new level as musicians and capture the essence of what the band is. Following months of touring with the likes of Every Time I Die and Terror, Code Orange then began work on their follow up. Dropping the “Kids” from their name, Code Orange would proceed to release I Am King, an album that upped the game for them to a new level entirely. Along with their hardcore punk sound, they incorporated elements of doom, thrash and sludge to their repertoire. Code Orange would go on to play shows with Killswitch Engage, and be a part of the Mayhem Festival in 2015. Now in 2016, they are really on the rise having recently signed with Roadrunner Records and touring with Deftones. Their big energy, take no prisoners shows have fast become very talked about and a must see for those that are fans of the genre.
If you enjoy heavy punk/thrash influenced music then Code Orange is the band for you. Being as young and hungry as they are, the sky’s the limit for how far they can go and become. Check out this band and what they have in store for you!
AUDIOECLECTICA 