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Sepultura: Blood-rooted

21/07/09 || Smalley

Even though Sepultura’s one of the more divisive metal bands out there, I think I have a record here that most will agree is pretty awesome; half a year after Max left to form (yuck) Soulfly, Roadrunner noticed he had left behind enough rare material to make for a pretty meaty compilation, and that’s exactly what they gathered for “Blood-rooted” (well, that and other stuff). Yes, this is a classic case of a label closing the barn door after the horse is out, but the rare tracks here are good enough that the “cash-in” label really doesn’t apply; all that matters is how “Blood-rooted” kicks ass.

…with no thanks, however, to the opening track. The cover of Celtic Frost’s “Procreation (of the wicked)” is a respectable effort on Sep’s part, but I’d still rather listen to the original; Tom Warrior’s vocals just made it work better, and this version doesn’t have that awesome demon voice part (boo-urns!). On the other hand, the cover of Final Conflict’s “Inhuman nature” is a more comfortable fit for Sepultura, with a higher energy level, a menacingly catchy main riff, and good old-fashioned show off drum work from Igor. If Sepultura’s post-Max albums have been leaving you cold (which is a very likely thing), “nature” and the rest of this compilation will feel just like a reunion with long-lost friends.

“Polícia” is a short and sweet punk cover, dramatically turning up the heaviness and speed from the Titãs original, but retaining the Portuguese lyrics, so most of its anti-cop (wink) message is lost on me, but whatever; the basic music still rocks. “War” cleverly takes elements and lyrics from the Bob Marley original (which got its lyrics from a speech by Haile Selassie I), and becomes a perfect fit for Sep’s politically-aware outlook, and an eerie slow-burner in the vein of “Lookaway”, with taunting, off-kilter keyboard work, contrasting spoken verses/screamed choruses from Max, and a soft, understated outro that lasts over two minutes, and sounds really damn cool. Great stuff all around.

“Crucificados Pelo Sistema” is another quick ‘n dirty take off Brazilian punk, with a big emphasis on quick, since the track only lasts one minute and four seconds! It still feels satisfying, however, even within that puny running time, and is also fucken light years ahead of the Ratos De Porao (big ugh for me there). Then we come to the crown jewel of this compilation, which is the cover of Black Sabbath’s “Symptom of the universe”. Sepultura really knocked this one out of the park by turning up the thrashage, having Igor give an absolutely blazing drum performance (perhaps my very favorite from him), and best of all, no Ozzy Osbourne wailing! The jazzy outro where Max actually shuts up so we can hear the music (unlike Ozzy), is just the cherry on top.

“Mine” is another slow, “Lookaway”-ish track, with Mike Patton providing the appropriate vocal stylings (since I doubt Max could’ve given it the proper effect). The childish chorus of “Stop me, don’t touch me/Don’t stop cause I’m such a creep!” is a minor annoyance, and “Mine” is no where near the best track on “rooted”, but still, a pretty cool song, which is more than I can say for the “Master Vibe” mix of “Lookaway”. This one definitely sounds worse than the original version, and is a completely pointless addition, but I guess I shouldn’t have expected better from a guy called “Master Vibe”. Then we get really crappy demo versions of “Dusted” and “Roots Bloody Roots”, which are a waste of time even if you haven’t heard the originals; enough of these alt versions already!

Fortunately, “Drug me” gives us something interesting again, by being another relentless, no-nonsense punk cover (of The Dead Kennedys, this time). Fun song, and the last rare song on “rooted” too, since we then come to the compilation’s live tracks: “Refuse/resist”, “Slave new world”, “Propaganda”, “Beneath the remains/Escape to the void” (great for fans of old-school Sep), a nice electric version of “Kaiowas”, “Clenched fist”, and “Biotech is godzilla”. Yeah, these are heavy on the “Chaos A.D.” stuff, and are no substitute for the studio versions, but it’s still nice to hear the old tribe playing together anyway, plus the Cavaleras are great showmen (even though Max has a funny accent when he’s talking).

So as you can see, “Blood-rooted” is very much a worthy purchase for any Sepultura fan, especially considering how cheap you can get it for. Yes, there are useless alt versions of some “Roots” tracks, but the rockin’ rare material (that serve as a kind of a bridge between the styles of “Chaos A.D.” and “Roots”), along with the solid live material, more than make “Blood-rooted” a smart grab. Just ignore that tacky little sticker on the cover and dive right into this one!

8.5 bloody awesome roots out of 10.

Information
Released: 1997
Label: Roadrunner
Website: http://sepultura.uol.com
Sepultura
Max Cavalera: vocals, rhythm guitar
Andreas Kisser: lead guitar
Paulo Jr.: bass guitar
Igor Cavalera: drums

Tracklist
01. Procreation (Of The Wicked)
02. Inhuman Nature
03. Polícia
04. War
05. Crucificados Pelo Sistema
06. Symptom Of The Universe
07. Mine
08. Lookaway (Master Vibe mix)
09. Dusted (demo)
10. Roots Bloody Roots (demo)
11. Drug Me
12. Refuse / Resist (live)
13. Slave New World (live)
14. Propaganda (live)
15. Beneath The Remains/Escape To The Void (live)
16. Kaiowas (live)
17. Clenched Fist (live)
18. Biotech Is Godzilla (live)

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