The Mediator Between Head and Hands Must Be the Heart

Author: Primož Novak

Artist: Sepultura
Label: Nuclear Blast
Release: year_month
Length: 47:04
Rating: 4/5

Brazilian outfit Sepultura are still standing after 30 years. They may not enjoy anything close to the reputation they had back in the day with Max Cavalera at the helm, but you have to give it to them: despite all the criticism, they’re still at it. The quality of the music has improved over the years, which showed above all on A-Lex and Kairos. For The Mediator, the band decided to take yet another approach. Ever since Max Cavalera left, Sepultura have tried all kinds of ways to claw their way back. There was a lot of experimenting too, which, thanks to bad reviews, didn’t really pay off. This time, though, they went back to the »roots«.

The band has teamed up again with producer Ross Robinson, who produced Roots, the last album Max Cavalera played on. Roots wasn’t exactly well received, because of its concept and especially its weak production. Still, Andreas Kisser and co. decided to work with Robinson again, which could be seen as a risky move. But over the years Robinson has probably picked up a few more tricks.

The Mediator opens with Trauma of War, which sets the sonic direction for the album. The sound is dirtier, yet the songwriting approach is different from Roots, so nobody should be accusing the band of just reheating the past. After Trauma of War, which boasts aggressive riffs and standout drums, Sepultura serve up Vatican, which, after a creepy intro, hits hard with fast, thrashy riffs at a breakneck tempo and the dynamic drumming of young Eloy Casagrande. Casagrande’s style has lifted Sepultura to a higher level, because if Igor Cavalera were still behind the kit, the whole thing would sound pretty monotonous and uninspired. The songs on The Mediator are quite varied. Some of the slower tracks add extra »tribal« percussion, something the band did in the past, but on their earlier albums it seemed like they’d dropped it. There’s no overdoing it here, like on the first Soulfly albums, but the extra percussion stands out best in Manipulation of Tragedy.

The album does have a few flaws. A song or two runs too long, but what bugs me most is the end of the record, where the filler Da Lama Ao Caos (a cover of Chico Science & Nação Zumbi) shows up. The track runs a good 4 minutes, but after the silence there’s an unnecessary drum solo tacked on, stretching the album out for no reason.

The members of the current Sepultura lineup do a decent job. Andreas Kisser doesn’t have as much imagination anymore, but he still has his bright moments with certain riffs. Derrick Green’s voice has stayed the same, though he tries some clean vocals here and there, like on Grief, which with its slow, doom metal feel and melancholy gives the album some extra layers. Drummer Eloy Casagrande is without a doubt the bright spot on the album, while bassist Paulo Xisto doesn’t stand out, but then he’s always been known as never really being much of a bass player.

The idea behind the album is definitely worth praising. It’s not a concept record the way Dante XXI (The Divine Comedy) and A-Lex (A Clockwork Orange) were, but Kisser took inspiration for this one from the film Metropolis, the cult sci-fi classic from 1927. On their recent albums, Sepultura approach the lyrics in a slightly more intellectual way, while still hammering home their criticism of society and religion.

Sepultura won back some of the trust with Kairos (2011), and with The Mediator the band proves it’s holding steady while also trying out something new. These days Sepultura are still pretty overlooked, thanks to the old-school fans, which is hardly a fair indicator of where the band actually stands.

Line-up

Derrick Green – vocals

Andreas Kisser – guitar

Paulo Jr. – bass

Eloy Casagrande – drums

Production

Ross Robinson

Tracklist