Sepultura - Machine Messiah (2017)

My thought when I think about bands that have been out there, touring and releasing albums year after year for like two or three decades, is only: is there still any passion? Or are they just doing this because, you know, they have to feed their children? Bands start as fun and suddenly become business, it’s always something like that and, as natural as it may be, a dozen or more years after your favorite band from the 80’s changed almost one hundred percent of its original lineup, you don’t feel like you are listening to the same band anymore.

Sepultura, the legendary Brazilian thrash death metal band, is no exception. It remains with only fifty percent of its original lineup, and has changed its sonority a lot, including ambient elements from Brazilian culture, tribal percussion, groove and hardcore riffing. The band has been in the scene for 33 year now and still releasing albums every two or three years like they just don’t fucking care. But… is there still any passion for metal music left in the guys? Well, Machine Messiah tells me that, yes, they still have the feeling for it. This album is by far one of the best they have released in many, many years. I have to mention that I really liked Kairos, but despite two or three really good songs, it lacked consistency.

Machine Messiah is an astronomical improvement and already stands out as a landmark in Sepultura’s long career. The album has a clean production, focusing mainly on the basic instruments, but there was also space for many additional elements like classical orchestrations, tribal percussion and a lot of vocal variations. This is Derrick Green’s best performance to date and even his clean vocals sound really enjoyable in Machine Messiah.

The instrumental part is nothing but memorable. Andreas Kisser presents us with a variety of riffs that range from the classical thrash metal chugs to the most complex progressive patterns and his solos are just beyond impressive. The guitars on Machine Messiah play a big role in setting the pace for the album. Drummer Eloy Casagrande does an amazing job with an incredible display of technique and speed. His presence in the band was fundamental to suppress the lack of power left after Iggor Cavalera parted ways with Sepultura. Bassist Paulo Jr is consistent in making a solid background for the guitar work and again does his homework brilliantly, even having some highlights like in the title track.

Also, Sepultura’s songwriting is complex and creative, choruses are catchy (listen to Phantom Self) and each song is pretty different from each other, which makes the album interesting to listen in its entirety. Machine Messiah is a definite proof that Sepultura still have the skills to reinvent themselves and deliver something really good. I am really excited to see what will happen to these guys in the future and really hope that they can still produce good albums like this one.