Listening to ‘Kairos’, with an acceptable Ministry cover as the only memorable moment, and ‘The Mediator Between Head and Hands Must Be the Heart’ even more so after that, I was deeply pessimistic about Sepultura’s future. ‘Machine Messiah’ was the unexpected but welcomed response by Andreas Kisser, since it was a record full of fresh ideas, maybe the best of the Derrick Green period.
In the present day, ‘Quadra’ is, according to its concept and title, a record comprised of three four-track sections of thrash, groovy and melodic songs – the juxtaposition of ‘Isolation’ and ‘Agony of Defeat’, with its clean vocals, makes the point easy to understand. Interesting idea, inspired, even though a potential ‘marriage’ between the different styles could result in a better flowing album. In any case, while ‘Quadra’ doesn’t have Machine Messiah’s imagination and top-tier riffing, it is, once more, the sound of a band with a purpose, trust in the material, and a reason to exist. It is a record that certainly belongs among the Brazilians’ best post-1996 and, if it makes any difference, comes on top of everything Max Cavalera has written in the past five years.
Lastly, congrats to the youngster Eloy Casagrande for his work behind the kit.
