In late 1997 the death metal communitly lost one of it's most angry frontmen when Max Cavelera left the brazilian super group sepultura around this time Max's stepson dana wells was killed in a car accident that reaks of foul play Max then proceded to the studio with alt-metal group the deftones to co-write the song "headup" in wich max screams the words "Soulfly" this in some way translated to Max that he will name an upcomming project that. At the begining of the recording of the self titled debut album of soulfly Max found latin american musicians to play on the record. He also enlisted the talents of other musicians such as Chino Moreno from the Deftones, Benji Weebe of Dub War and Fred Durst and DJ Lethal of Limp Bizkit on the blistering agro-metal classic "Bleed" another stand out track is the cover of a sepultura song co-written by the late Dana Wells. To call Max Cavelera a superb vocalist would be wrong he is a raw and brutal screamer that has a roar surpassed by no one. most of the songs on the Soulfly LP are about the pain of loosing a loved one or the pain and tourment of the slaves and natives in brasil who's land is being burned and chopped down as you read this. So when you hear this album and think it is just uninspired screaming with loud guitars to boot remember what you read here today.

These days there are a lot of good solid metal bands, but very few original acts. Soulfly defies this tradition and comines two musical dimensions that are very far apart yet blend seamlessly. In fact, this could even be considered a higher form of metal, since metal music has a tendency to resonante with the primal instincts of the soul, and Soulfly's tribal elements intensify that resonance. This CD is absolutely primitive fury and has a raw, savage feel. However, this does not mean it's poorly produced or executed. There is a curious complexity in the blistering guitar riffs and thundering drums, which often combine the kit with jungle percussion. It doesn't feel as "dark" as most metal, but it abounds with savage energy that is refreshing and inspiring. This is by far their best album, although all of their releases are well worth the $$. Their live show is nothing short of amazing- don't pass up a chance to see them.

This album wasn't that bad. I like it. Even throught it's not Sepultura, but it's ok. And the God thing, He lost a son so, maybe it's his way of saying that his son is somewhere in a better place, that's all. I do have to agree with that him bring in Limp Bizcut guy (Fred) did mess up the album, plus Chino Moreno and him could have done a better song together. But all in all, not a bad album.

Quite honestly, this album has a decent sound to it. The heaviness, the musicianship, the vocals, the parts all come together nicely most of the time. The problem is that this album is a total 'Roots' rip-off. There's no new material on this album. In addition, the sound gets eminently repetitive over time, as did 'Roots' at times... I recommended it to those who absolutely worship Max Cavalera. Otherwise, the album is completely unoriginal, uncreative, and done much better with Sepultura.

Okay, this is my first review and I decided to write this to clear things up and offer a little more insight about the band. Yes, the album is great. I'm listening to it right now and it sounds just as good as the first time, about 10 years ago. But...

To really get into this album you have to understand what it means and represents and agree that Max is somewhat of a genius. This album is not just a new project by a guy who left some band, it is a turning point in his life and his beliefs. I saw Sepultura in Brazil in '96 on the Roots Tour and let me tell you: one of the best concerts in my life (I've been to hundreds), part of what made it the best concert was Max's performance, this guy is an animal on stage. By the end of this tour Max's step son (Dana Wells) had died from what is suspected to be a hit from drug dealers he owned money to and Sepultura as a band was unhappy with their manager Gloria Cavalera (Max's wife). They fired her, he quit, plain and simple. He then decided to continue to do some spiritual searching (which started a few years back and started showing on 'Roots') and form a new band. Sepultura fans (who by the way show a high level of fanatism) completely disowned him. I had guys who have their faces or their symbol tattooed on their back tell me that Max was dead to them. So a lot of people was expecting his new band to come out and completely suck!

This new band was Soulfly and their first album is an outlet for Max's troubles and pains and another move in the more spiritual direction (he thanks God in the back cover), so if you're looking for anything reminiscent of 'Beneath The Remains'-days Sepultura (Death Metal) you will be disappointed. He parted ways with the dark themes a long time ago and transitioned to more political then to more spiritual. I see a lot of reviews here that thrash on the 'more rapping parts' or the more tribal aspects of the songs. If you don't like that, then you don't like Max and Soulfly. You have to understand that this guy's biggest idol is Bob Marley and he is a big fan of Wu-Tang Clan, so if you're a Metal purist you probably won't enjoy his music. Now, if you want some eclectic, heavy, aggressive, strange sounds and concepts then you are in for a treat.

Let me explain the tracks a little:

-Eye For An Eye - Kinda like a spit in your face song subliminaly dedicated to Sepultura members and the killers of Dana Wells. Quote from the song: "F***ing envy changes everything."

-No Hope = No Fear - A continuation of the same idea. Quote: "Who ever said you could never be free?"

-Bleed - My guess is this song is dedicated to Dana Wells alleged killers. Quote: "What goes around comes around." A threat maybe?

-Tribe - If you're a real Sepultura/Soulfly fan then you know they're from Brazil and very proud of their 'Roots' (Max has a guitar with the Brazilian flag in it) so when you listen to another language that is not English, 90% of the times it's Portuguese. The intro is Max playing Berimbau (native instrument) and singing a native song about Zumbi. Max had the idea to visit indians in Brazil as a form of inspiration for the Sepultura album 'Roots" and this song extends that idea. At the end of the song he gives a shoutout to the different Brazilian tribes.

- First Commandment - Chino was Dana's friend and they believe he was murdered so I guess on this song they promote "Thou shall not kill" from sixth to first commandment.

- Bumbklaatt - Bumbklaatt is a way of saying F*** You in Patois (Jamaican broken english). Again, Max is a big fan of Bob Marley.

- Soulfly - Mellow instrumental song, not much to it.

- Umbabarauma - Cover song from popular brazilian singer Jorge Ben, talks about a soccer player from a long time ago.

- Quilombo - Quilombo was the word used for slavery time housing projects in Brazil. Zumbi dos Palmares was a sort of Martin Luther King of the time and organized uprisings.

- Fire - Starts fast then gets slow, more talk about Zumbi dos Palmares. Great ending.

- The Song Remains Insane - The intro is a radio newsbroadcast talking about when Max was arrested in Brazil for (accidentally) stepping on the national flag at a Sepultura concert. The flag was handed to him by fans and had the Sepultura symbol in the middle. When he was opening the flag to show it to the audience he tripped and stepped on it. Both, stepping on the flag and the symbol in the middle of the flag were a violation of Brazilian federal laws that protect the flag. Then a cover of 'Caos', a song by brazilian punk band Ratos De Porão (old friends of Sepultura). Then a much more hardcore version of 'Attitude'. Then the title song and then some words by Chico Science (a singer from another band who died).

- No - Very aggressive and noisy, very political.

- Prejudice - Not much to it besides a guest appearence by the guy from Dub War. Good song.

- Karmageddon - Mellow song ending with folklore brazilian song performed by local women.

This is a great album and very personal. It allows Max to address a lot of his issues. It is a classic to me, so if you're the curious type, get this ASAP.