Arise (Reissue) [Original recording remastered]

Writing this review gave me the excuse to blast out this album on my stereo at an extremely high volume (nothing beats the opening track for pissing your neighbours off something chronic), and I was instantly transported back to the summer of '92. I remember being absolutely blown away by the sheer ferocity of this album then and nothing has changed now.

Considered by many to be mere Slayer clones when they first emerged from Brazil, Sepultura proved on this and later albums that they were anything but, incorporating tribal and industrial influences into their sound and carving a niche all of their own. To be fair, the tribal influence is not exactly pushed to the fore on this album (that came later), but for sheer riffs, 'Arise' is probably one of the top five metal albums of all time.

The aforementioned opener, title track 'Arise' starts off with some industrial percussion which rapidly gives way to a thunderous opening riff. When the drums kick in, you start to wonder whether Igor Cavelra has two pairs of feet and hands!

There is no let up in quality on the album at all - each track is an absolute gem. Its therefore hard to pick out highlights, but if you're looking for a few pointers, the drumming at the beginning of 'Altered State' is absolutely superb, the whole of 'Desperate Cry' is fantastic, 'Under Siege (Regnum Irae)' is a nice change of pace and the last track 'Infected Voice' is the best closer since 'Damage Inc'

In short, if you haven't heard this for a long time, give it a play. If you've NEVER heard it, go buy it and discover what REAL metal is.

The album was released in a standard case and a limited edition digi-pak version. The album also spawned the release of the ‘Under Siege (Live at Barcelona) video and the singles:- Arise, Dead Embryonic Cells, Under Siege [Regnum Irae] and Third World Posse. In 1997, the album was remastered and released with four extra bonus tracks and on a gold CD.

The album is a solid block of aggressive speed thrash and power metal. The guitar work is tight and proficient, with tight crunching metal riffs backed up by a barrage of fast double bass work. Max Cavalera’s vocals are low and guttural, but still not undistinguishable. The album sports some of the band’s early tribal influences and incorporates a strong, industrial merge with the thrash sound. ‘Arise’ is an important milestone in the band’s career and a album that should be included in any respectable thrash collection. A truly awesome work of technically impressive metal.