The big fans of Max Cavalera won’t be disappointed by Soulfly’s eighth release. Unfortunately they won’t be enthusiastic as well because we are talking about another typical Max Cavalera opus. I’m not trying to be ironic or anything but really! It doesn’t matter anymore if you are listening to any of the latest Soulfly albums or a Cavalera Conspiracy record or “Roots” (or maybe “Arise” but at least “Arise is a killer) as they all sound similar. Obviously David Kinkade (Borknagar) and Campos (Ministry) who joined forces in drums and bass respectively have not played any role in music writing.
I’m not saying that Max has reached the state of stagnation and can’t progress any longer just because of “World Scum”; a kick-ass death/thrash/Scandinavian black metal tune. That’s something he’s never done before. “Plata O Plomo” (the Portuguese version of Cavalera Conspiracy’s “Warlord”) is very interesting with the flamenco guitars. There are a few other strong moments in the album where guest musicians are involved (Travis Ryan of Tribal Decapitation, Dez Ferara of DevilDriver). “Revegeance” is another good tune with Max’s three sons as guests.
Nevertheless the mediocre tracks outnumber the very good ones thus, “Enslaved” sounds like nothing special to a casual fan. It’s such a pity because this is Soulfly’s most brutal work to date. Surprisingly the songs are lacking in tribal elements! And something else…Marc Rizzo’s solos have been lessened while on the other hand the blasts rule.
