This is a project which needs no introduction. It is the third offering from the reunification of the Brazilian thrash metal rhythm section which churned classic albums like “Arise”, “Chaos A.D” and “Roots”. Igor and Max, now on good terms, work together once again to bring forth another slice of intense metal. With Mark Rizzo, Max’s lead guitarist in Soulfly and Converge’s Nate Newton handling Bass duties, the formidable four piece hope to unleash pandemonium.
“Babylonian Pandemonium” opens the album with a dramatic sounding sample, filled with echoing drums, swirling wind noises and distorted voices before buzzing guitars and a wail of feedback brings it to life. With harsher than normal vocals, Max sounds more like a death metal vocalist than his usual shout-styled approach. The pounding drums from Igor locks the track down and the relentless guitar and bass work keeps the intensity up. “Bonzai Kamikazee” follows hot on the heels of the opening track with a fantastic, frantic paced thrash riff. Rizzo’s lead guitar lines add a sense of urgency over Max’s snarled vocals and reliably solid rhythm work and the rhythm section keeps everything together. The breakdown section just over three minutes in has a great headbang feel to it, and the air-raid siren effect in the background adds a nice touch as the song speeds back up again. If anything, it’s what we’d expect from a Max Cavalera penned track and it doesn’t disappoint.
“Scum” starts off bass heavy. The pounding bass gives way to the rest of the band joining in, keeping the pounding feeling up but as soon as the verse kicks in, its full speed once again. Rizzo’s divebar antics on the lead guitar add some flair to the verse riff before the chorus. During the second half of the song, it switches between a slower paced groove and the full on thrash assault, all full of great solid riffs. “I, Barbarian” opens up with another trademark Max riff and much like the previous songs, rhythmically it is tight and spot on. Rizzo’s lead in the chorus mirrors the rhythm part of Max, but makes it sound more urgent but the best bit of the track is 1:53 onwards. A huge groove-laden breakdown guaranteed to get anyone headbanging along which leads into a twisting and biting solo to close the track. “Cramunhao” follows on with a similar riff to the previous track, but right off the bat it opens with a fantastic shred solo soaked in wah pedal goodness (Take note Kirk Hammett – this is how to use wah!). The brutal sounding riffs are full of aggression as they storm across the track as it seamlessly transitions from death metal to full on groove at times. Halfway through the track there is another brilliant lead section which flows into a more frantic sounding vocal section from Max and the rest of the track jumps between lead breaks and aggressive vocal sections up until the end.
“Apex Predator” starts off with a lead line and some synth heavy samples before the bass kicks in, adding some balls to the track before it erupts into a fast paced death metal number. Slowing down slightly, it settles into a thick groove with a Middle-East feel lead over it before it kicks back into the frantic pace again before fading out. “Insurrection” opens up with a fast paced riff and hectic slayer-like solo. The full speed number just storms through with a great Arise-era sound, laced with twisting leads and vocals which actually sound more like the usual ‘Cavalera shout’. The chorus section is great and the lead sections are fantastic but round the 2:40 mark, a huge breakdown kicks in which sounds like the end of “Roots, Bloody Roots” but sped up. Live, this will be brutal! “Not Losing the Edge” starts off with an evil sounding lead and rhythm part which then turns into a full on thrash number with plenty of groove. The Chorus has some big sounds to it, like a wall of sound hitting you full on and the lead sections are creepy at times in the verse but in the solo’s, they are spot on.
“Father of Hate” follows on in a similar manner – thrash based groove with interesting lead guitar parts. The fast paced feel, courtesy of Igor’s relentless drumming and Nate’s pounding bass in the chorus really beefs the track up and the buzzing, frantic guitars give this track a real sense of urgency. Rizzo’s flair filled soloing halfway through the track busts out every trick in the lead thrash guitarist’s arsenal and by the time the song comes to an end, it’s a full on heavy groove driven outro. “The Crucible” has a chugging feel to it with some interesting vocals from Max – tortured shouts to a full on death metal snarl. It’s a relatively simple track and aside from the vocal stylings, it’s similar to most of the album – pounding rhythm and cutting leads.
“Deus Ex Machina” starts off with some sampled words and a slightly tribal feel to the drumming before a full on heavy groove kicks in. The pace switches between fast and steady throughout the song with a heavy focus on the riffs and it pays off. The solos are precise when they surface and fit the song well. Round the 4:50 mark, the song hits a drum heavy breakdown which leads into the end of the song and the final track of the album. “Porra” has that distinct tribal, Brazilian vibe to it, a staple feature of most Sepultura/Soulfly recordings. Clean guitars, rhythmic drums give way to the distorted guitars and Max singing in portuguese. Rizzo’s clean leads over the slightly droning riffs are hypnotic and without any warning, the song kicks into life, speeding up before suddenly slowing back down again. The shifting of rhythms and styles, mixing the full on assault of the album with more tribal sounding cleans works great and closes the album off well.
“Pandemonium” is a great record. After multiple listens, it is clearly one of the most progressive things Max has put out since 1996’s “Roots” album which is rather pleasing, but at times, the tracks can blend together as they do have some similar sounds, especially in the second half of the album. Honestly? To me, this is the best thing Max has put out since Nailbomb’s fantastic “Point Blank”, so if you loved that and you loved the 90’s Sepultura stuff, get this album!
(8.5/10 Fraggle)
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