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23 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beneath the Remains, March 21, 2003
Despite their fairly high popularity level, for a metal band, Sepultura has never seemed to get the kind of respect they deserve. They general have been placed behind all the big American thrash bands in the great hierarchy of metal bands, which is a shame, because they make some killer music. Frankly, this album and the later Arise surpass anything I've ever heard from Slayer, Anthrax or Megadeth, and are as good or better than anything Metallica has done other than Master of Puppets. Sure, they may be a bit derivative, but well, pretty much all the other thrash bands were inspired by Metallica anyway, so that's no more valid a criticism of them than anyone else. And besides, innovation is nice, but it's not the main concern. Sometimes, most of the time, really, it's good just to do something many others do better, than just about anybody else, which is precisely what Sepultura has done with this album.I'll get my one complaint out of the way. Max's vocals aren't very good on this album. They aren't obnoxiously bad, but they're nothing special, and they're 100 times better on Arise, where they became deeper and more intense. They do have a distinct flavor here, as Max has an extremely thick accent and clearly doesn't speak English well at all. Still, this is a minor complaint. Stylistically, this album is sort of mid-way between Reign in Blood and mid 80's Metallica, combining the increased speed with the longer, more intricate structures. This album is flat-out the most intense thrash album I've ever heard.(it's death-thrash, really) Sure, it may let up more than Reign in Blood, but not too much, and when it really gets going it's heavier AND faster than anything on RiB. From a sheer technical standpoint, it's hard to believe how young these guys were(18-20 years). Though the songs aren't terribly long, they avoid conventional pop structures, and sometimes go beyond the standard thrash structure.(long intro-2verses/choruses-long instrumental-chorus.) Beyond that, they simply have a nearly absurd number of riff changes, more than just about any metal album I can think of. Igor's drumming is very nicely done, not as complex as it would become but still very powerful. Andreas' leads are strong as well, particularly on Inner Self and Lobotomy. There isn't any filler here, though 2 tracks, Sarcastic Existence and Hungry are merely good rather than great. It opens up with the title track, which, minus the intro, is a very Slayer-like song, with a blazingly fast opening 2 verses giving way to a slower, groovier bridge, coming back to the chorus.(a la War Ensemble, Angel of Death, Ghosts of War etc.) Inner Self is one of the slower tracks, with the strongest solo on the album. Mass Hypnosis is probably may favorite track on the album. It's got a simply unbelieveble amount of energy and power, with a slower, memorable chorus contrasted with lightning fast and staccatto rhythm guitar abuse in the verses. Slaves of Pain also stands out, with another great chorus. The last real standout track is the closer, Primitive Future, which is perhaps the most explosively energetic thrash track I've ever heard, and truly a perfect way to close an outstanding album. The bonus tracks don't add too much, but I don't think too much about them either way, since they aren't truly part of the album. Anyways, thrash rules, Sepultura rules thrash, therefore, buy Sepultura.
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by Sepultura 
