SEPULTURA
Quadra
Nuclear Blast Records
It has taken SEPULTURA nearly 20 years to finally put together a run of consistent, musically solid – not to mention good – releases. After stumbling badly in the aftermath of the ugly split with frontman Max Cavalera at end of 1996 – and arguably before that if you, like me, think the nu/groove metally Roots is a steaming pile – the band started thinking outside the box with the 2006 concept album Dante XXI and has been carrying that approach forward ever since.
And in doing so, SEPULTURA has settled into a determined, umm, groove that really got rolling with 2011's Kairos and steadily built momentum with the tongue-twisting The Mediator Between Head and Hands Must Be the Heart and the more succinct Machine Messiah that followed. Quadra, the (mostly) Brazilian quartet's 15th full-length, stands as the pinnacle of this long stretch, and is arguably its best release since 1993's Chaos A.D., combining the lofty thematic ambitions and conceits of the more recent albums with plenty of the thrash metal fire and fury of old.
Anyone whose ears perked up at album's first singles - the blazing opener “Isolation” and the less furious but still bracing “Last Time” - should not be disappointed by what rounds out the remainder of the 12-track, 52-minute opus, which only really stumbles with the clumsy closing number “Fear, Pain; Chaos; Suffering” that simply throws too many ingredients into the pot. But until then, the band largely maintains the aggression and energy it demonstrates on the singles, even with the conceptual trappings and ample – and well-executed - orchestration that comes with it, and doles out a pretty razor-sharp selection of songs along the way.
As might be ascertained from the title, the Quadra concept is centered around the number four. And the album is split into quadrants or quarters of three songs each, with each ostensibly capturing a somewhat different, but still cohesive vibe. This is not a case of the four seasons and the dramatic contrasts they can bring. Instead, it's more like various shades of the same color, since at its heart the album is most definitely all metal. And that's a good thing. Where “Isolation” rips and tears and “Means To An End” rides tumultuous grooves, “Last Time” counters its frantic pace and slashing riffs with choirs and synths. “Capital Enslavement” opens with Latin percussion and chanting and a sawing violin before giving way to a crunching chug powered by Eloy Casagrande's athletic drumming and topped by frontman Derrick Green's imposing vocals – both are superb throughout.
“Ali” is a bit thicker and meatier, but boasts frisky rhythms and gang-sung choruses to give it plenty of life. The big choruses return again on “Raging Void”, one of the album's more playful, quirky songs thanks to the tangle of guitars from Andreas Kisser, which return with technical vengeance on “Autem” but unaccompanied by the singalong – indeed Green all but whispers some of the verses. By contrast, “The Pentagram” has no vocals at all, instead offering a thunderous jam that delivers some of Quadra's heaviest moments.
The orchestral flourishes are more prominent on “Guardians of Earth” - at least at the start with its acoustic guitar and angelic choir lead in – and “Agony Of Defeat”, a melodic, anthemic triumph. Indeed, with its even-handed delivery, rousing swells and Green's admirably soulful vocals, it has a stirring grandeur that would have made it a more fitting finale than the aforementioned “Fear, Pain; Chaos; Suffering,” a somewhat lumbering affair with guest vocals from Emmily Barreto that don't really add a whole lot – especially given all of the sumptuous chorales that came before. Still, it's a noble experiment even if it doesn't quite work.
But everything else SEPULTURA tries with Quadra is spot on. It's a deft melding of old, new and different that never bogs down in its conceptual high mindedness and flat out kicks ass. Quadra proves that not only is SEPULTURA still valid, but gives the band an aura of vitality it hasn't really had in ages. It's too bad it took the band so damn long to get to this place, but here we are, better later than never.
4.5 Out Of 5.0
