When this tour was announced, many fans said this was an easy way for the Cavalera brothers to make some money. But the timing was perfect, because 2016 states that 20 years have passed from the release of “Roots”, 20 years from Max’s departure and 10 years from Igor’s departure from Sepultura.
The truth is that we have seen many artists touring and choosing to play songs from the bands that made them famous like Paul Di’Anno, Uli Jon Roth, Roger Waters and Udo Dirkschneider. My opinion is that they have every right to do that if they composed and recorded these songs. The point is how they will present it so the fans will take them seriously.
There are many things you can say about “Roots”. It’s the best-selling album of Sepultura, it’s their most experimental, it helped a lot the newly-found scene of nu-metal and of course it was the base on which Max built his music legacy with Soulfly later on. But is the favorite among the fans of Sepultura? Probably not because mostly “Arise” and “Beneath The Remains” hold that place. Nevertheless, it was a good chance to listen to a classic album in its entirety.
It was about 21:00 when , right on schedule, Blame Kandinsky from Athens came on stage. For about half an hour the presented a crazy mathcore show. Although I’m not into that scene, I have to say that they were excellent. Mathcore requires a lot of talent and good technique to be played right, especially on stage, and these guys gave all they had. The sound was on their side, but not the audience who didn’t react much in their music. They have released an EP entitled “Pink Noise Motel” and they are about to release their first full-length on January. Well done guys, I will keep an eye on you from now on.
Their show was followed up with 40 nerve racking minutes in which the soundcheck lasted only 10, the clever fans who came in last minute started hitting everyone in order to go as close to the stage as they could and of course some idiots showed no respect at all by smoking pot in a sold-out live show resulting in a horrible stench. The time finally passed and Cavalera brothers came on stage followed-up with Johny Chow on bass guitar (Stone Sour, ex-Cavalera Conspiracy) and Marc Rizzo on guitar (Soulfly, Cavalera Conspiracy). They started of course with “Roots Bloody Roots” and the reactions were like a quake hitting inside the walls of Gagarin. The songs that followed up, “Attitude”, “Cut-Throat” and “Ratamahatta” were also impressive but after that point the reactions started to fade-out. I don’t know if this happened because the best songs of this album had already been played or because we were squeezed like sardines in a can but it gave me the impression of a flat performance. The sound was very good throughout the show and about one hour after, “Dictatorshit” signified the end of “Roots” and the departure of the band. Upon re-entering the stage, they played a few seconds of Sepultura songs, not even a full one, covers and a fast version of “Roots Bloody Roots” based on a demo tape of the album’s era.
The concert ended after just 80 minutes and I was wondering if it worthen the trouble. In my opinion, it is unacceptable for a band to play this small amount of time unless there is under a special condition. As for the setlist, the brothers decided not to play any Sepultura songs and filled the empty spaces with covers. Maybe they did it because, according to Max, there will be another tour some time for “Arise” which by the way is 20 minutes shorter than “Roots”. Max, Igor, sorry guys but you didn’t convince me. Maybe next time.
George Terzakis
Photos: Chris Kissadjekian/www.livephotographs.com
Setlist: Roots Bloody Roots, Attitude, Cut-Throat, Ratamahatta, Breed Apart, Straighthate, Spit, Lookaway, Dusted, Born Stubborn, Itsari, Jasco, Ambush, Endangered Species, Dictatorshit, From The Past Comes The Storm/Troops Of Doom, Procreation Of The Wicked (Celtic Frost), Policia (Titas), Ace Of Spades (Motorhead), Roots Bloody Roots (fast version)
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