Sepultura’s Quadra has nerve-wracking potential for the best album of 2020! (Review)

HELL YEAH! I was anxiously waiting to get the promo of this album! For those of you who live under a rock, Brazilian thrash metal gods Sepultura will release their 15^th studio album, Quadra. And boy! That artwork drew a lot of attention towards this release! Not to mention the music videos - Isolation and Last Time. Now, let’s get an in-depth review of this album!

The album opener is a song we already mentioned, „Isolaton“. And I gotta say, that’s a creepy intro right there! First, this electronic effect and then the choral elements & violins. That pumps the tension perfectly! AAAAAND the merciless thrash metal riff kicks in! I mean, this song will instantly induce a couple of mosh pits. Derrick Green’s vocals perfectly match the brutality of the riffs! Not to mention the way Eloy Casagrande’s drumming brings the madness to a whole new level! His drum attacks are insane to say the least! And Andreas Kisser’s solo is like icing on the cake! This lead has some sick Beneath the Remans vibe, I tell you that! I mean, we are at the 1^st song in the review and I feel that this song alone is so good that I actually had to listen to it over and over again for a couple of times before listening to the next one!  The second song, „Means to an End“ start with this contorted riff. This is actually a groovy track with some classic noisy Sepultura inputs. It incorporates some  simplistic but yet crushing riffs as well. The song breaks with these clean guitars & bass part and then this dissonant, headbanging riff comes into the picture! Once agan, Andreas Kisser delivers leads, this time with a sitar-sounding effect! I didn’t get the lyrics sheet for this album but I’m pretty sure this song is about „brainwash“ and „politics“. Killer stuff! The next track, „Last Time“ has been released as a music video. And it’s a pretty catchy song, no need to go into the details…check it out yourself! Although I must say that it rips friggin’ heads off! The calm part is breathtaking! And not to mention the way the band blended Eastern vibes with choral parts.

„Capital  Enslavement“ is as striking as the title suggests! This one incorporates tribal Roots Indian chants & percussions with some eerie-sounding violins, Hitchcock style. The song is actually pretty dynamic. The band is shifting gears in this one! The riffs are once again of minimalistic nature but still aggressive enough to make you lose yourself in the pit! The second part of the song is a bit more thrashy up to a point where Andreas delivers another killer solo! The next track, „Ali“ starts with a slow, yet crushing riff that announces the impending doom. This track is a meat grinder that keeps on devouring. After the drum & bass break, the band enters the punky carnage mode for a while and then this open strings riffs grabs you by the tail! „Raging Void“ is a track that will give you time to catch your breath. It’s actually a mid-tempo song with emphasis on Derrick Green’s singing.  It’s not a bad song but it’s completely overshadowed by the previous tracks.

„Guardians of Earth“ encapsulates Andreas Kisser’s guitar mastery in a breathtaking acoustic part. It sounds so dark and creepy, (like I said before, Hitchcock style!) And man, I love how distorted guitars commit sonic butchery in a mere second following that acoustic interlude! And of course, the chants make this song more epic! „The Pentagram“ is quite an interesting one, especially if you have in mind that we are talking about an INSTRUMENTAL Sepultura track. This song alone is pretty dynamic with  a whole bunch of twists and turns arond the corner. These riffs will break you in half! „The Pentagram“ sounds as some video game time trial. Cool, to say the least! Gotta love those watery guitar effects! Pure psychedelic madness! And clean guitars are mesmerizing as well! And of course, things get angrier the moment distortion comes into place! Hats off to Eloy Casagrande and his octopus-like drumming! „Autem“ keeps on giving! Those riffs are in place, and a lot emphasis is put on a damn catchy chorus!  What follows next is a merciless thrash/death invasion of your еаrdrums! Those eastern vibes that can be felt in the guitars and percussions work like charm! „Quadra“ is a short classical guitar intro that will refresh your ears for sure!  Short but sweet!  „Agony of Defeat“ is so far, the most melancholic tune on this album. I must say that those guitar leads are superb! And Derrick’s singing is quite catchy! And at last! The last song on the album – „Fear; Pain; Chaos, Suffering“....it starts with this chord progression that sounds like some material from the Machine Messiah album. And to our surprise, you’ll hear female vocals here. It’s a 180-degree song when compared to the rest of the album. But still, it sounds damn good!

Sepultura’s Quadra has nerve-wracking potential as the best album of 2020!  Let’s face it! This band keeps on evolving! Quadra can be described as a logical continuation of Sepultura’s Machine Messiah sound. Overall, the album is pretty dynamic and diverse which makes it a lot more interesting to listen to.  Derrick Green’s vocals are so damn heavy! He played his role so well on this release! Eloy Casagrande…well, this guy’s godlike drumming destroys tiny dust particles around ya! When it comes to the guitar, Andreas Kisser is THE lord of riffs and leads (Praise the lordaaah!). Paolo JR. did a great job as always (even though the bass could have slightly louder!) What’s striking about Quadra is the way all the elements are packed. You can tell that the band put a lot of work into the tiniest details! Just like Machine Messiah, Quadra has a bunch of these Eastern/Tribal/World music vibes that enrich the whole product and make it sound a lot more interesting than a sterile thrash/death metal album. Downsides? Bass could have been louder (I state this in 90% of reviews!). When it comes to mediocre songs, I would single out „Raging Void“ as the weakest on the album.  Sadly,  I didn’t get the lyrics sheet in the promo but from what I’ve heard the lyrics are in place! I definitely like the concept behind the whole album that Derrick and Andreas discussed recently in one of the videos.  Final thoughts? Sepultura’s Quadra is a MUST LISTEN album!

Rating: 9.5/10

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