It’s hard to believe that Totem is the twelfth album from Max Cavalera and his troops of doom in Soulfly, but then Max always was prolific, his fervent imagination seeing him move with ease from one project to the next, always committed to the moment and to making the most joyous noise possible. Having learned from the earlier Soulfly outings that less is more, Totem is a ferociously streamlined album, offering just ten tracks, and while plenty of guests join the party (including John Powers, Chris Ulsh and John Tardy), the album remains very much the product of Max’s imagination. A metal fan first and foremost, you can almost feel Max’s grin as the riffs tumble from the speakers, and it is a pleasure to once more spend some time in the company of a genuine metal icon.
The album gets off to an impressive start with the gargantuan assault of Superstition, which sees Max harking back to the thrash roots of Sepultura with no small amount of glee. With Arthur Rizk helping Max out in the production department, the sound is dense, but with plenty of space for the blazing lead runs that dot the landscape, and the resultant track is a breathless tour-de-force that comprehensively rearranges the listener’s nerve endings in just three short minutes. Next up, Scouring The Vile maintains the aggression levels, not least thanks to Obituary’s John Tardy dropping in to add his terrifying vocals to the mix. Filth Upon Filth gives drummer Zyon Cavalera plenty of opportunity to reduce his kit to so much matchwood, while Max delivers a searing vocal performance which, layered in effects and delay, slams through the mix with real force. Rizk, meanwhile, adds some suitably devastating lead work, which helps to add a touch of light to the churning shade of Max’s Neanderthal riffing. Adopting an almost blackened vibe, the imperial menace that is Rot In Pain’s introduction gives way to some menacing tribal rhythms, all of which serve to underpin some of Max’s thrashiest work in years. The first half concludes with mid-tempo monstrosity that is The Damage Done. Heavy as hell, the pacing and production of the track is designed to maximise its impact, and it’s exceptionally savage.
Opening the second half, the scything riff of Totem takes a moment to fully resolve into coherence, before Max takes us on a five-minute tour of his influences, including blazing thrash and skull-crushing death. It’s a gargantuan workout, guaranteed to slay live, and a mini-Max-masterpiece more than worthy of having the album named for it. A shorter, sharper piece, Ancestors sees Max as Frankenstein, reanimating the spirit of Celtic Frost and throwing in hints of Obituary and classic Sepultura along the way. It’s as brutal as they come and it’s almost a relief when the sinister intro to Ecstasy Of Gold gives way to a straight-up thrash banger. With the album having been a breathless thrill ride to this point, the hauntingly brief Soulfly XII maintains an album tradition that dates back to the debut, offering an ambient instrumental interlude that soothes the spirit just in time for Max to rebound with one last feral blast of metal in the form of the epic-length Spirit Animal. At nine-minutes, it gives Max and his merry band of hell raisers plenty of space to explore extremity, and the result is a track that goes from coruscating thrash to bowel-loosening doom and back, even offering a brief digression into gorgeous, post-rock and dub territory along the way. A majestic, yet bruising finale, it draws a neat line under yet another impressive addition to Soulfly’s ever-expanding canon, Max once again proving himself one of the most committed musicians and metal fans out there.
Under the watchful eye of Arthur Rizk, Soulfly have turned in a ferociously tight performance. Zyon Cavalera continues to live up to the family legacy, turning in a devastating performance behind the kit, while Max sounds positively on fire, even by his own standards. While this is still very much a Soulfly album, Max does, nevertheless, continue to push boundaries, not least on the epic finale, which takes in plenty of sonic territory over the course of its nine-minutes. However, if you’re looking for one song that really sums up the album’s brutal approach, it is surely the awesome title track. Twelve albums in and Soulfly still kick out the jams – long may they run. 8.5/10
