Artist: Sepultura
Title: Kairos
Type: Album
Label: Nuclear Blast Records

It has been a while since I listened to Sepultura, I don't mean just since the release of 'Dante XXI' 5 years ago, but anything else too for that matter. Well... from the slow steady building of "Spectrum" I could quickly tell that it's something I need to rectify and soon. Andreas Kisser's guitar hum reverberates through my ears as it chugs steadily along until the familiar voice of Derrick Green changes from a mean-spirited whisper to a mighty roar, Jean Dolabella keeps the tempo from increasing even when the lead solo tries its damnedest to make the rest of the instruments increase to its pace. The fast paced kick drum on the title track "Kairos" gives it a great undercurrent 'til it drops right off for an almost Rootsesque atmospheric break and chaotic solo. "Relentless" on the other hand is aptly titled, as the barrage doesn't let up even during the intricate wails of the lead solo 'til Derrick's final scream. "2011" sounds like an orchestra about to start tuning up and chatting, talk about a rather interesting pause in the proceedings which is followed rather succinctly by a cover of Ministry's "Just One Fix" where Derrick's vocals are heavier and angrier than Al Jourgensen's screamed vocals were, but at the same time far less distraught.

I really like the way "Dialog" was put together with layers of vocals and spoken verses in such a way that the title is more than just a description of the song content. Wow! "Mask" is a serious hark back to the really early days when everything was played at breakneck speed, tempered with strong riffs that hold their own really well when slowed down for the verses before kicking into gear again. "1433" has the sounds of office telephones ringing and other ambient sounds to distract for 30s 'til "Seethe" takes over. The best part of the song is its guitar lead, it squeals and runs amok all over the fretboard. The ebbs and flows between almost, and I stress the *almost*, mellow riffs and the fast and heavy ones on "Born Strong" contrast in such a way they draw you in to punch you back with the unexpected intensity. A powerful drum battering by Jean opens "Embrace The Storm" and the low end punch of Paulo Jr.'s bass drives the song along with buzzy sounding guitars and shouted out vocals over the top. The ringing church bells of "5772" take us swiftly into the hyper fast "No One Will Stand" where Derrick's vocals rage between his deep growls and anguished screams of defiance. The song slows down for the lead solo to emphasize the overall speed beautifully when it builds up again. I'm not even sure if this could be classified as viable terminology I'm going to use here, but "Structure Violence (Azzes)" has a kind of industrial/tribal ambience about it. I guess that's owing to the multiple drum tattoo being beaten out, but with a subtle clanging of metal bars/rods interwoven to give it a 21st century edge. The heady rhythm carries you along while random sound bytes of a conversation are dispersed throughout the song. I was pretty sure I recognised the riff in "4648" after the 30 seconds of clicking drum sticks and that's because it's The Prodigy's "Firestarter", but this version's a hell of a lot heavier, and then the second half of the track is "Point Of No Return", both turn out to be bonus tracks on the Deluxe Edition but owing to the fact the 3 were listed as a single 8 minute track I didn't realise that at first. So rather than ending the album for me on a quiet note, it ends with a bit more of a kick in the teeth.

http://sepultura.uol.com.br/

Marco Gaminara

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