Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Primal....brutal...powerful, 15 Dec 2008
Primal, brutal, powerful reads the tagline on the promotional sticker on Soulfly's latest album and no three words could better encapsulate the sheer intensity and impact of this album. To my mind thrash metal in its contemporary form covers a broad landscape of heavy grinding music that extends beyond the boundaries of hard rock but not quite as far as full on death metal, grindcore and the like. And that is without subdividing extreme metal down into the many `core' ending subcategories that have emerged in recent years. Soulfly's `Conquer' fully captures the zeitgeist of extreme music in 2008 and in my opinion is head and shoulders above all other thrash releases this year. This is no mean feat in a year where thrash metal is said to have made resurgence and where we have seen many excellent and indeed career defining albums released by the likes of Testament, Death Angel, Metallica, The Haunted, Gojira, Destruction, Machine Head and even Bleeding Through with their latest effort. It pains me to say it but when Max and his Soulfly cohorts are in such devastating form one wonders about the need for a Sepultura reunion, if indeed it ever will happen. Because listening to Conquer takes you back to the glory years between Beneath the Remains and Roots. That is not to say that Max has totally disregarded his fondness for world music wanderings and tribal soundscapes on Soulfly albums. But somehow the few that are contained on this album complement the songs rather than distract the listener from the thunderous aggression of Soulfly's delivery. This is an album for today's world. Its lyrics are as politically relevant as its vision is apocalyptic. The pleasing thing about this album is that no two songs are the same. The best thing of all is that Max has created some new anthems for 2008, the quality of which have not been heard since the mighty Chaos A.D. If, like me you were wondering whether to shell out the cash in the hope that Max would return to the heaviness and aggression of his Sepultura days then wonder no more. Conquer is a mighty return to form and is a soundtrack to the warfare and uncertainty of the world we live in today. In 2008 it appears that thrash is back and most pleasingly Max Cavalera is back doing what he does best. PRIMAL BRUTAL POWERFUL. Indeed.
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great return, 13 Dec 2008
This is agreat recording,heavier than their last album,Dark Ages,but just as good.I got the side project Max was involved in a few years back,Nailbomb.And this album reminds me of this.Each track is excellant and the album never tails off,which I find with most Soulfly albums.
Buy it and you won't be disapointed.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
The Best Soulfly Album to date, 28 Sep 2008
Soulfly didn't get enough respect when they arrived back around the turn of the century, people viewed them as a side-project and just wished founder Max Cavelera would re-join his old band Sepultura.
People didn't care for Soulfly's revolving door approach to band line up, and cared even less for their frequent 'guest appearances.'
The bands undeniable talent slowly won over more and more fans with each release, and the band also became more focused and heavier with each release.
After the bands Fifth album 'Dark Ages,' everyone finally treated the band with the respect they deserved, and now the band has followed up their career highlight 'Dark Ages,' and people wonder how they could possibly follow it up.
The answer is simple, they changed very little at all and kept guest appearances to a minimum.
The style of the album is very similar to 'Dark Ages,' with more Thrash Metal tenancies, a few more Death Metal moments, but all of the catchy choruses and interesting guitar solos that made the band famous in the first place, but less of the 'tribal,' sound that some people found off putting.
Usually Soulfly albums start of strong but tail off towards the end, but that simply doesn't happen here, the album is good from start to finish.
Thats enough about the style of the album, what about the quality ? The production is excellent, the lyrics have stayed at the same level they always have, the artwork is fantastic and the music is the strongest its ever been, the band really benefited from keeping the same line-up form the previous album. Mark Rizzo in particular shine on this release, filling the disk with virtuoso playing and an bouncy enthusiasm.
For those who have written Soulfly off, 'Conquer,' is the perfect album with which to win the over, and for those who already love Soulfly this album is still going to be the best album in your collection.
Highly Recommended.
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