Sepultura | Sepultura and Les Tambours du Bronx (Eagle Rock)

Metal Veins – Alive at Rock in Rio

 

 

For their 30th anniversary, Sepultura is releasing a live album recorded at the fabled Rock in Rio music festival. These death thrashers from Brazil aren’t the first, and won’t be the last, to release a live record from this show. (Iron Maiden’s Rock in Rio sticks out heavily in my mind.) What makes this live record so different from so many others is how big it sounds. Normally, these albums are recorded in an arena or a theater somewhere and the sound is naturally compressed by the venue. When recording at Rock in Rio, there is no such compression. For a thick band like Sepultura, this could be what kills the record.

Thankfully, this isn’t the case. Their trademark percussive and thick guitars rang through loud and clear—once my ears learned how to hear this album. Because of the enormity of the festival and the crowd, it has a very different sound.

Speaking of different sounds, the drums sound like a factory being led by John Henry. Super human drums are a hallmark of metal, but Sepultura has taken this to a new level. For this special concert, the Brasileros have enlisted the help of Les Tambours du Bronx, a percussion troupe known for 225 liter barrels, baseball bats, and axe handles. They sound like steam pistons being assaulted by a sledge hammer. It’s also worth pointing out that, even though the vocals have always been in English, on stage (in Brazil, at least), they spoke in Portuguese.

This is not the album that’s going to convince someone to become a Sepultura fan, but they dish out a dynamic set full of songs from several albums that is sure to please the metal crowd. | Nik Cameron

Verdict: Buy this album

RIYL: Sarcofago, Early Clutch