Throughout their lengthy, often turbulent career, Sepultura have never simply accepted defeat. When, like so many others, the band found themselves faced with a seemingly unending lockdown, they decided to reach out to their musical peers, focusing on maintaining a sense of community at a time when each was contemplating their own isolation. It’s a move typical of the band’s dedication to their craft and the result is Sepulquarta, a unique album that sees the band members recording from their own homes alongside a number of guest stars ranging from Devin Townsend to Danko Jones. With a vast catalogue to draw from, despite a smattering of older songs, Sepultura have wisely given plenty of space to the increasingly excellent material found on more recent albums, with tracks like Phantom Self more than comfortably sitting alongside such classic material as Territory. As such, Sepulquarta paints a compelling picture of a band who have never been content to rest on their laurels and, with both band and guest stars so obviously having a blast, it serves as a testament to the way in which music can transcend boundaries.
Opening with the classic Territory, Sepultura are joined by Dave Ellefson for a ferocious, faithful take on a fan favourite. Derek provides a typically compelling vocal, and the whole band exude a sense of joy simply in being able to play alongside one another, although it’s Eloy’s manic performance behind the kit that arguably draws the most attention. Next up, Anthrax’s Scott Ian joins the band for a thrilling Cut Throat. Always one of Roots’ most devastating tracks, here it takes an even heavier turn as Scott and Andreas go head-to-head with predictably awesome results. One of my absolute favourite tracks from the Sepultura catalogue, Sepulnation provided an incredibly powerful reassertion of the band’s identity at the time of the much-underrated Nation. Here, it feels a little slower than normal, taking on an almost doomy aspect and Danko Jones offers a strong counterpoint to Derek’s unholy roar. Nevertheless, the track doesn’t quite have its usual punch and so it’s s all the way back to Beneath The Remains for a coruscating Inner Self. Sacred Reich’s Phil Rind adds further weight to the band’s performance and then we’re treated to Hatred Aside from Against. Joined by Fernanda Lira (Nervosa / Crypta), Angelica Burns (Hateful Murder) and Mayara Puertas (Torture Squad), the track features an insane, four-way vocal that adds grit to an already blistering track (see video below).
Sepultura with Devin Townsend was always a tantalising prospect and it most certainly does not disappoint as the multi-talented Canadian joins the band for Kairos’ Mask. Devin’s dizzying lead work leaves you to wonder if it’s actually Devin or Ziltoid who turned up on the day, and it proves to be one of the album’s highlights, not least thanks to Devin’s savage backing vocals. Sticking with newer material, the band dip into the excellent Quadra for Fear, Pain, Chaos, Suffering. With Far from Aleska’s Emmily Barreto reprising her guest slot from the album, it’s another highlight, underscoring the increasingly progressive nature of Sepultura’s latter day output. Having allowed the audience a breather, Sepultura bring out thrash legend Alex Skolnick (Testament), who appears to lend a hand on Vandal’s Nest from Machine Messiah, his fleet-fingered assault inspiring the band to deliver the track at breakneck pace. The classic Slave New World sees Trivium’s Matthew K. Heafy bring his A-game to a track that undoubtedly inspired his own career, while the tribal assault of Ratamahatta is given greater weight by percussionists Joao Barone & Charles Gavin.
A punishing track from Roorback, Apes Of God features Death Angel guitarist Rob Cavestany enter the fray, but it’s Derek’s unhinged vocal that keeps the attention. Long a live favourite, it’s great to hear the band deliver such an assured performance powered, of course, by the Octopus-limbed Casagrande. While Vandal’s Nest may be one of Machine Messiah’s most vicious cuts, Phantom Self is more representative of that album’s progressive inclinations, and Periphery’s Mark Holcomb helps to fill out the sound. Another track that harks back to Beneath The Remains, Slaves of Pain boasts Kreator’s Fred Leclercq and Korzus’ Marcello Pompeu, both of whom clearly revel in the track’s obscene speed before Brazillian guitarist Rafael Bittencourt ushers in a change of pace for the beautiful, intricate Kaiowas. Finally, almost by way of an encore, Motorhead’s Phil Campbell joins the band for their brilliant cover of Orgasmatron, and it’s every bit as cool as it sounds, the band clearly excited to have one of the track’s original musicians jamming with them.
Sepulquarta is a fantastic album. The work of talented musicians finding innovative ways to deal with a situation that all but shut their industry down, the album sees the band finding inspiration and community in a series of jams that, collected here, flow surprisingly well. With strong production and beautiful artwork, the only slight disappointment is that there’s no DVD or Blu Ray of the video clips that accompanied each track. That minor gripe aside, this is a thrilling overview of Sepultura’s career that (with a few exceptions) skips the obvious for deeper cuts, more reflective of the band’s enduring creativity. 9/10
