If Machine Messiah weren't a Sepultura album, its blend of chugging riffs and zealous guitar solos would qualify it as a passable thrash metal record. But in the context of the band's incredible catalogue and legacy, it just doesn't pass muster.
Sepultura's latest fails to replicate the same tone and momentum that their previous album, The Mediator Between Head and Hands Must Be the Heart, established, perhaps due to the absence of previous producer Ross Robinson. Overall, the album is substantially slower than the last, which, while not a bad thing on its own, results in a lack of energy and emphasis. Title track "Machine Messiah" is surprisingly tame, and though notable songs such as "Phantom Self," "Resistant Parasites" and the instrumental track "Iceberg Dances" will have your head nodding, they don't conjure the same aggressive energy that shone through on previous albums.
Diehard fans of the Brazilian band who rekindled their interest in the band with the return of Roots producer Ross Robinson will find Machine Messiah lacklustre, possibly even forgettable, when held up to Sepultura's better past work.
(Nuclear Blast)Sepultura's latest fails to replicate the same tone and momentum that their previous album, The Mediator Between Head and Hands Must Be the Heart, established, perhaps due to the absence of previous producer Ross Robinson. Overall, the album is substantially slower than the last, which, while not a bad thing on its own, results in a lack of energy and emphasis. Title track "Machine Messiah" is surprisingly tame, and though notable songs such as "Phantom Self," "Resistant Parasites" and the instrumental track "Iceberg Dances" will have your head nodding, they don't conjure the same aggressive energy that shone through on previous albums.
Diehard fans of the Brazilian band who rekindled their interest in the band with the return of Roots producer Ross Robinson will find Machine Messiah lacklustre, possibly even forgettable, when held up to Sepultura's better past work.