Enslaved
[Roadrunner]
While every piece of Soulfly’s recorded output is a testament to the legacy and creativity of Max Cavalera, many of them have been very similar in delivery. Sure, the nu-metalisms were gone with the thrashy Dark Ages and Conquer and Omen saw waves of hardcore and experimentalist wash into the mix, but the sound was always very distinctly “Max.” Granted, this band is and always has been his vision; bit Enslaved has seen that vision change more dramatically than ever. Sure, you have moments like “Intervention” and “Gladiator” that would almost sound at home on anything Max has done since Sepultura’s Roots, but the brutal death vibe of “World Scum” (featuring Cattle Decapitation’s Travis Ryan) and hyper-riffing of “Legion” make this album a reason to go apeshit. Devildriver vocalist lends his roar to the frenzied “Redemption of Man By God” (one of the discs most engaging and straightforward tunes), while a new generation of Cavaleras – Ritchie, Zyon and Igor Jr. – bring industrial hardcore sensibilities to “Revengeance.” Heavy as bricks, tribal, melodic, varied and very well-written, Enslaved is dangerously close to Max’s best piece of work yet. It will be very interesting to see where things go from here. – Ryan Ogle, editor, Music Insider Magazine
