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Sepultura - Quadra review



Reviewer:
8.0

305 users:
7.81
Band: Sepultura
Album: Quadra
Release date: February 2020


01. Isolation
02. Means To An End
03. Last Time
04. Capital Enslavement
05. Ali
06. Raging Void
07. Guardians Of Earth
08. The Pentagram
09. Autem
10. Quadra
11. Agony Of Defeat
12. Fear; Pain; Chaos; Suffering [feat. Emmily Barreto]

Have you realized that Derrick Green has been a member of Sepultura twice as long as Max? I know, it's preposterous.

Fact #1: Sepultura's trilogy from Schizophrenia up to Arise is historical proof of how majestic thrash metal can be. Nothing released from this band after 1991 ever came close to this level of greatness and nothing ever will in the future.
Fact #2: The band's releases after Chaos A.D. and up to Machine Messiah ranged from 'not good' to 'what-the-fuck-is-this-shit' and most of them were so horrendous that it amazes me that Sepultura still exist as a band and people are still somehow interested in what they put out.
Fact #3: Eloy Casagrande is a drum prodigy and the absolute best thing that has happened to them during their post-Cavalera years, and since his recruitment they have been making some very unexpected progress.
Fact #4: Machine Messiah was the first listenable - and even fine - album (from start to finish) by Sepultura after Chaos A.D.
Fact #5: The two tracks revealed before the release of Quadra, "Isolation" and "Last Time", left a lot to hope for.
Fact #6: If you expected a 180° turn towards Beneath The Remains or Arise, because of these two tracks, hold your horses.

As its name suggests, Quadra is roughly divided in four parts, where each part features three songs. The first part is the more aggressive and thrashy side of the band, and it sounds fucking awesome. Yeah, that simple. Especially the main riff of "Isolation" is proof of how influential the song "Arise" has been for thrash; hundreds of bands have tried to craft something equally jaw-dropping, and Sepultura come very close with this song. The second triptych of the album then incorporates a more rhythmic, groovy, and Roots-styled approach, while the third part is more experimental and progressive with "Guardians Of Earth" being an absolute delight. Finally, the closing tracks are more melodic and 'soft', with acoustic guitars, female vocals, and oriental and symphonic passages. All the aforementioned elements blend well within the songs themselves so that there isn't so much of an impression that we are merely being offered four different EPs packaged as one LP.

The performances are generally very good, even Green is not annoying for the second album in a row, and Jens Bogren's production is just flawless. But credit must be given where credit is due. The guitar work is tremendous but it is Eloy Casagrande who has steered the whole Sepultura ship to the right direction; before him the band had hit the iceberg, now they are sailing back to glory after so many years. Whatever style he plays, be it groovy, thrashy, jazzy, funky, heavy, proggy, he does it with such power, passion and precision that Quadra is worth your time and money just to admire his skills. I think he motivates everyone in the band to become better and he is the perfect combination of the bestial insanity of early thrash and the complex technique and innovation of prog.

Quadra is a very enjoyable metal album. It mixes raw thrash with tribal percussion, orchestral elements, choirs, progressive parts, emotive melodies, and clean vocals in a way that feels cohesive and unique at the same time. Andreas Kisser says that "There is no reason to put out an album unless you've got something new to tell. A lot of bands out there are slaves of themselves, trying to repeat their formula. That's stupid! You have to respect the past but you are here now. So... do something different!" I don't particularly agree with him. To me, if you are a musician your first concern must be that your music is good and if you manage to offer something new as well, that's a very welcome little extra. Sepultura can definitely not be accused of offering the same microwave-reheated dish with every album to their fans, but they have been rightfully bashed for putting out some really bad music. With Machine Messiah and now with Quadra they have managed to innovate and write good songs at the same time. This is a win-win situation for them and their fans.

"Already crossed that line
Lucky I'm alive"





Written on 04.02.2020 by Only way to feel the noise is when it's good and loud!


Comments page 2 / 2

Comments: 41   Visited by: 405 users
11.02.2020 - 04:25
kingeryck

Written by Bad English on 04.02.2020 at 21:43

I tried new albums. They sucjed for me, new MetallicA is better


That bad? Wow
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11.02.2020 - 10:30
Rating: 8
(o> . )

I find the "facts" #2 & #4 too extreme, cannot agree with them. Some good points were still made tho, so in the end I'm left leaning on the mildly positive side in response to the review.
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11.02.2020 - 18:48
X-Ray Rod
Skandino
I guess the big difference I have with the review is that I DO agree with Kisser's quote.

Written by Auntie Sahar on 04.02.2020 at 22:27

I've honestly never listened to any post - Max Sepultura. Is this a good place to start?

Written by nikarg on 05.02.2020 at 02:01
Yes, this is a good place to start. Or the previous one, Machine Messiah. Except these two, you don't really have to listen to anything else post-Max.


Che: I'm gonna be one the only one here to disagree with everyone else and tell you to check out Dante XXI. It's a great hardcore with touches of thrash album and great out-there influences. It has basically everything mentioned in " raw thrash with tribal percussion, orchestral elements, choirs, progressive parts, emotive melodies". But more of a hardcore-vibe than metal. Good use of violins and other atmospheric touches. It has great musicianship and I just find it a sad shame that it got dissed like that. I still hold the belief that folks simply were not prepared for it when it came out.
I find it superior to most things post-Max (and better than Soulfly but then again I never liked Soulfly).
A-Lex had some good songs here and there but was too long and inconsistent. Dante XXI has very little filler. I'm glad I'm not the only one since there is an old staff review that backed me up on that.

Written by Desha on 05.02.2020 at 23:30

Written by Maco on 05.02.2020 at 22:28

You've never been in South America it seems.
I don't recall Bestial Devastation being gay, about ass and partying


He is referring to the long tradition of bestial/war/black/death/whatever you wanna call it metal being particularly appreciated in South America (pointing at very old Sepultura, Sarcofago, Vulcano, All from brazil).
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Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29
Like you could kiss my ass
Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
Rod, let me love you.
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11.02.2020 - 19:49
tintinb

Roots was one of the first metal songs I have heard. It actually acted as a bridge which helped me in my shift towards more heavier music. Later I heard Sepultura's earlier music, got a better understanding of 80's thrash, their place in the genre, as well as Root's place in their entire discography. However I still can't shake off the feeling, to this day, how delightfully excited I was when I could actually believe music can even be this way. Roots as a song as well as an album gives me an awesome nostalgic feeling and therefore is placed at a much coveted place in my heart.
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Leeches everywhere.
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12.02.2020 - 16:11
Rating: 8
(o> . )

Written by Auntie Sahar on 04.02.2020 at 22:27

I've honestly never listened to any post - Max Sepultura. Is this a good place to start?


Besides the two recent ones, I enjoyed Dante XXI. It's got some dull and annoying moments, but overall I think it's a solid and very high octane record.

Well, now that I said that I think I'm going to get lynched, but nevermind, my body is ready.

Written by X-Ray Rod on 11.02.2020 at 18:48

....and tell you to check out Dante XXI.


Finally someone who sees Dante for what it's worth! I thought I was going mad or something.
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20.02.2020 - 17:16
Tiago Rocha
Dark Lighthouse
They keep making the same mistake over and over: relying on the vocals and repeating them instead of focusing on the instrumentation. This is thrash metal, vary the fucking instrumentation and pace, and avoid vocal choruses. Derrick Green is everywhere! It's actually desperating... when you think there's some guitar work or pace variation coming up next, there he goes singing the same shit he sang in the song twice already! I ended up with the feeling that they could've done much better with this material because there's some excellent ideas in here.
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21.02.2020 - 15:19
nikarg

Written by Tiago Rocha on 20.02.2020 at 17:16

They keep making the same mistake over and over: relying on the vocals and repeating them instead of focusing on the instrumentation. This is thrash metal, vary the fucking instrumentation and pace, and avoid vocal choruses. Derrick Green is everywhere!

I am like one of the biggest "haters" of D.G. but I have to say that he is actually alright on this album. As he was on the previous one too.
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03.04.2020 - 22:13
Chiche18

This is te best Sepultura album whith Derrick Green as a front man. I understand that the name SEPULTURA has is own weight in the scene, but for me they has to form a new band whit other name. The ghost of the old Sepultura and the broders Cavalera is always surrounding anything that they do and its counterproductive.
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03.04.2020 - 22:23
nikarg

Written by Chiche18 on 03.04.2020 at 22:13

I understand that the name SEPULTURA has is own weight in the scene, but for me they has to form a new band whit other name.

It is probably a bit late for that now.
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26.04.2020 - 17:41
Rating: 9
Răzvan

I thought Machine Messiah was a fine return to form and this album cements it in my mind: Sepultura is back to the world of great thrash. If Machine Messiah was probably their best album since Chaos AD (I don't rate Roots that highly as an album, though I do enjoy some songs), Quadro is probably the first Sepultura album than can stand on its own compared to their classic thrash period. Yeah, I said it. I think it deserves this level of praise because the music is not only great, but it's quite diverse and, more importantly, it doesn't feel like it's trying to be thrashy just to appease the old school fans or to rekindle some past glory.

And while the sound is massive and the guitar work impressive, the major stand outs for me are the drumming and the vocals. Yes, I said it (no. 2)... the vocals. Derrick Green sounds perfect within the boundaries of this album, but Eloy Casagrande... this guy is the best thing that could've happened to Sepultura in its post Cavalera era. He's probably the number one reason this band is seeing such a resurgence.
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My subjectivity is better than yours.
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23.05.2021 - 20:13
Rating: 8
Mehrad

The only thing I don't agree with is Fact #2 , Chaos AD is my favorite album by them , and Roots is just OK not terrible
this album is fire though , Means To An End kicks some serious ass. 8/10 is the perfect score
and it's so funny that some people think if you are a die hard sepultura fan , you should despise anything after Arise
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Ride a horse that's cleaving through the air and space of dreams.
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