SepulturaSepulQuarta

Sepultura has weathered more storms than most bands could survive, so count on them to come up with a pretty inventive way to keep themselves active and creative during the worst global crisis most of us have ever lived through.

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With no way of touring one of the best albums they’ve ever made, the band used their regular podcast to connect with fans and friends around the world, and inadvertently ended up with a new recording.

Lacking any agenda other than jamming out with some friends, SepulQuatra validates Sepultura’s status as one of the greatest metal bands of their generation as they blaze through 15 songs from their now-vast catalogue. Rather than rest on their more famous cuts, the band has dug deep to air lesser known tunes, even some from ill-regarded albums like Nation and Against.

No track is really intended as a reinterpretation and some of the guest contributions aren’t particularly noticeable, but others clearly stand out. Danko Jones makes his presence felt on Sepulnation, Testament’s Alex Skolnick drops a pearler of a solo into Vandal’s Nest, Devin Townsend adds a dash of his inimitable humour and flair to Mask and Trivium’s Matthew K. Heafy – that’s what he goes by now, apparently – turns in a career-best effort with a savage vocal contribution to Slave New World. Andreas Kisser teaming with Rafael Bittencourt from Angra on Kaiowas is a late highlight, and their version of Motörhead’s Orgasmatron with Phil Campbell simply crushes. 

Sepultura could have well gone the easier route and released a live stream or a recent concert recording to stay active during this worldwide shut-down, but instead they have gone an extra mile and given fans something special – a savage and heavy live recording with a difference, and a soul.

Other stand-outs are the trio of vocalists from female-fronted Brazilian bands Crypta, Terror Squad and HatefulMurder joining the Seps for Hatred Aside, and rock singer Emmily Barreto’s turn backing up Derrick Green on Fear, Pain, Chaos, Suffering. As their home nation suffers harder than most under COVID’s dark hand, highlighting other Brazilian artists this way is Sepultura helping to give back to others less fortunate than themselves, long part of the band’s core ethos. Sepultura could have well gone the easier route and released a live stream or a recent concert recording to stay active during this worldwide shut-down, but instead they have gone an extra mile and given fans something special – a savage and heavy live recording with a difference, and a soul.

STANDOUT TRACKS: Fear, Pain, Chaos, Suffering, Slave New World, Orgasmatron
STICK THIS NEXT TO: Slayer, Soulfly, Kreator