Album Review: Soulfly - 'Savages'

11 October 2013 | 2:50 pm | Staff Writer
Originally Appeared In

A small musical evolution for Soulfly.

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Soulfly have made some extremely successful music with six of their albums making it to the US Billboard 200. An impressive feat in any genre. These guys obviously know how to make great tunes and have certainly not wasted any time with new album, 'Savages'.

It seems that the Soulfly fan base is constantly divided about their greatest albums. A cursory look on the Youtube lyric video for opening track 'Bloodshed,' revelas there is much argument over whether the band has changed (or 'sold out'), whether the album will be good, and a war between which album is the best. Listening to 'Bloodshed' it does lack some aggression that may have been heard from Soulfly in the previous albums, but looking beyond that, this track is pretty classic to Soulfly's sound and provides a sweet little guitar solos in there that make it overal an ideal opener.

'Cannibal Holocaust' has a quick, creepy introduction fitting to its title and then moves straight into pounding drums and heavy guitars and vocals, a little step up from 'Bloodshed' in the speed and aggression department. The guitar work at the end of this track sounds great, creating a nice calm send off before pushing you straight back into the brutality.

With the first three songs we have gone from a bit of a slower pace for Soulfly, to something that's almost there, bringing your expectations overflowing for the next song 'Fallen', which really delivers. It has nice instrumentals if nothing else. Soulfly has gone through their fair share of line-up changes in past years but with these sounds it feels like they may have found the right mix. Lead guitarist Marc Rizzo really manages to take it home. The vocals in 'Fallen' also are bone crushing. A metal head's Heaven.

The full-length itself fluctuates between some really hard and brutal styles and something a bit different and less aggressive for Soulfly. 'Ayatollah Of Rock 'N' Rolla' even features a little bit of cleaner vocals, along with what might be called some Brazilian influences. Also, the use of quite a few guest vocals means the album produces a nice amount of musical diversity, with appearances from Igor Cavalera, Mitch Harris, Jamie Hanks and Neil Fallon.

If you are living in the past and want a fast, aggressive and crazy Soulfly album, you might not like every single track on 'Savages'. However, there are some tracks, which are heavier and will definitely please you. Soulfly have undertaken some musical evolution with this new album, a little more progressive in places and while that may disappoint some people overall, it's a good album with a little something for every metal fan in there.

'Savages' shows Soulfly's musical evolution as in places it strays away from the aggressive and fast paced sounds that they previously used. There are also some great heavy tracks within to please all Soulfly fans, old and new. The guitar work is solid, the vocals are precise and there is even a hint of some cleans going on. For a metal head it will definitely be worth a place in your collection.

1. Bloodshed
2. Cannibal Holocaust
3. Fallen
4. Ayatollah Of Rock 'N' Rolla
5. Master Of Savagery
6. Spiral
7. This Is Violence
8. K.C.S.
9. El Comegente
10. Soulfliktion