Customer Reviews

Schizophrenia

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Well after listening to this album I can tell ya one thing's for sure, Brazilians know how to thrash! But is this really thrash or death metal? Honestly who the hell cares because if you're a true metalhead you will inevitably be headbanging to this in no time! (watch out for whiplash though)

You see it's the early era Sepultura albums that are my favorite, they are simply the rawest, dirtiest, and most evil. It kinda pisses me off that they don't get much credit, everyone knows the awesomeness of BTR (which I love), Arise, and Chaos AD but I think more people need to check out the early releases. Oh yeah and I'm sorry but I thought Roots SUCKED! Yep I said it, so sue me. Hey I'm all up for experimentation but I just didn't like it in that case.

Anyway this is where Andreas Kisser comes in and shows his stuff. Does he kick ass? HELL YEAH! The entire album is a riff machine churning out a myriad of crazy guitar licks. I mean listen to "From the Past Comes the Storms", the immortal instrumental "Inquisition Symphony" (one of the greatest metal instrumentals EVER) and "Septic Schizo" and you'll surely see what I'm raving about, unless you're a nu-metal queer or something. The vocals are straight out of hell with Max doing mostly a death metal growl and yell but there is a little bit of clean vocals here and there.

The only problem I see with the album is the muddy production which for once does affect the listening experience for me (usually I really don't give a sh*t), there's pretty much no bass but overall it's not that bad. However, I have the original pressing of the CD so perhaps it's a tad better on the remaster.

Even if you like later Sep better albums (which is understandable), you have to give these guys for really trying to make it while nestled deep out there in Jungleland and only being 18! My recommendation- get all Sep albums up to Chaos AD, get some Kreator, Possessed, Celtic Frost, Early Slayer, etc for more extreme thrash! Well that's my opinion, LATER.

This album,to me,defines underground metal.The recording quality isn't that great,but neither was "Kill Em All".The true star of "Schizophrenia" is the then new guitarist Andreas Kisser.His solo on my personal favorite,"To The Wall",is unbelievable and secured his place as one the best metal guitarists ever.Seriously,this CD is worth buying for this solo alone.His other lead work is incredible,also.Max's distortion plagued vocals are very effective and really go well with the music,though i prefer the Arise-era roars.The best drummer in the world,Igor Cavalera,pulls off some great fills and double-bass,though the muddy production does obscure some of the more intricate moments of his performance."From The Past Comes The Storms" is another defining moment for the once unstoppable band,with it's furious riffs and unrelenting speed."Inquisition Symphony" is a classic instrumental,as good as,if not better,as any of the Metallica ones.I don't like "Escape From The Void" as much as everybody else seems to,but it is still a great song,easily better than over half the stuff on "Reign In Blood"."The Abyss" is an amazing piece of acoustic guitar mastery,capturing a mood of desolation and doom....I just wish it was longer."Screams Behind The Shadows","Septic Schizo",and"Rest In Pain" are excellent,brutal tracks,if not as memorable as "To The Wall" or "From The Past Comes The Storms".In fact,it is very hard to give this album only 4 stars,but the production muffles part of music quite noticeably,and Max's vocals,while fitting to the music,are weak compared to the aforementioned performance on "Arise".Still,"Schizophrenia" is a must for all metal fans,and beats the living crap out of most other underground albums.While Sepultura would create arguably the best thrash CD ever in "Beneath The Remains$Q,"Schizophrenia" is often overlooked and equally worth your time.For those wanting to hear TRUE metal,buy this and understand what it's all about.

1987: Enter Andreas Kisser the new lead guitarist for Sepultura and Jairo T.'s Replacement. This lineup change would lead Sepultura in the direction that would lead them out of the jungles of Brazil and onto the map as one of the best Thrash bands around. Sepultura grew up somewhat from their primitive Death Metal albums Bestial Devastation and Morbid Visions and released Schizophrenia which officially transferred them over into the realm of Thrash. This is a drastic change from the previous albums. It has better production while still having that low production feel to it, courtesy of Cogumelo records. Though the "Intro" is obviously ripped from the classic Psycho movie theme but when From the Past Comes the Storms Kicks in, you know you are in for one hell of a ride. Each track is more punishing than the next. The two instrumentals are excellent with Inquisition Symphony being a 7 Minute piece of perfection and the Abyss being a simple one minute song on acoustic guitar.

The lyrics content has matured; instead of songs about the antichrist we have songs about being taken advantage of by cops in To The Wall; which contains the best drum solo section on the album. Speaking of the drums, Igor has definitely improved and only got better with each album. Schizophrenia has a weird production to it that affects the tom drums in the most unusual manner. It sounds like Igor had left and briefly joined the blue man group only to return with a drum set made out of plastic pipes. Don't worry, it sounds awesome and it is one of the things that really stands out on the album.

While Sepultura showed some growth they we're still rather young, so the rather immature ending to album R.I.P. (Rest In Pain) has one of the most comical ways to end an album and brings a smile to my face every time I hear it. Then we are given their redone version of Troops of Doom, which was not included on the original version. Let's just say it beats the original to the ground and then slices its head off. Yeah, it's that good.

Then we have the three bonus tracks. A weird demo of From the Past Comes the Storms featuring poor English and two rough mixes featuring no vocals, bass or solos. All three of them are a real treat to listen to, and the rough mixes actually let you relax a little bit because they are instrumentals despite the fact that they are extremely fast.

Schizophrenia is always overlooked for some reason. It isn't Beneath the Remains, Arise or Chaos A.D. or Roots but it manages to stand out on its own and it is easily worth the five stars. This album is difficult to find though so if you do find it in stores, then buy it immediately, if not then click the buy button now, you will not regret it.

SCHIZOPHRENIA by SEPULTURA is a killer metal album that all metal fans should own. With this album SEPULTURA jumped into the international metal scene and showed they were a band that needed to be recognized for thier music. INQUISITION SYMPHONY is a classic instrumental that ranks up there with THE CALL OF KTULU or ORION from Metallica. As for the rest of the album, the riffs are killer, the drums are awesome and the music is great. TROOPS OF DOOM, TO THE WALL, SEPTIC SCHIZO, FROM THE PAST COMES THE STORM just jump out and are probably the best songs on the album. I also enjoyed listening to the bonus tracks which are just demos, but still have an edge to them. This album gave us a glimpse of what would become of SEPULTURA and from here on their albums just got better and they werent afraid to take risk with the music and they are now one of the best acts in the world

Sepultura's second full length release is similar to their breakthrough album, "Beneath the Remains," in a lot of ways, so I'm surprised this C.D. ("Schizophrenia") didn't get more attention. Like "Beneath the Remains," "Schizophrenia" is a death/thrash metal album full to the brim with blindingly fast, pile driving riffs, scorching solos, pounding drums, and Max's violent, death metal barks. Plus, even though it sounds rather rough, and it's not quite as great or groundbreaking as Sepultura's third or fourth albums, this album is actually quite great. Tracks three and four, "To The Wall" and "Escape To The Void," are good examples of this album's insane guitar and drum work. Next, "Inquisition Symphony" is a good centerpiece for the album, because it's an instrumental. It is also another tour-de-force for guitarist Andreaas Kisser, with flattening riffs, searing solos, and even acoustic guitars. Other highlights include "From the Past Comes the Storms" (which has catchy, chugging, pounding riffs), "Septic Schizo," "The Abyss" (which is an acoustic guitar interlude), and "R.I.P. (Rest In Pain)." Finally, like the remastered version of "Beneath the Remains," if you buy the reissue of "Schizophrenia" (which I strongly recommend you do for the improved sound quality), you get two bonus tracks: the "rough mixes" of "Septic Schizo" and "To The Wall." These remixes are actually not remixes at all, they're instrumentals. They're the exact same as the original song, only without vocals. The bottom line is, this SHOULD HAVE BEEN Sepultura's breakout album, but since it was not (and it's not considered one of the best thrash albums of all time), "Schizophrenia" isn't an absolute must for every metal collection. But, because it foreshadowed the greatness to come in Sepultura's later works, "Schizophrenia" is essential for every Sepultura/Max Cavalera collection.

Before "Beneath the Remains" got Sepultura the attention they deserved, there was "Schizophrenia". A pure, straight ahead thrash album with suggestions of things to come in the future, "Schizophrenia" isn't the essential metal masterpiece that "Beneath the Remains", "Arise", or "Chaos A.D." would be, but there is plenty to admire here. "To the Wall" features one of the most excellent guitar solos ever to be heard from Andreas Kisser, and even though Igor Cavalera's drumming isn't the kind of insane assault that would be his trademark on later albums, it is still unbelieveably heavy and reminiscent of Dave Lombardo in Slayer's Metal Blade days. "Escape to the Void" and "Inquisition Symphony" are great as well, the only downside of "Schizophrenia" is that it does wear a bit thin towards the end of the album, and the production (even if this is remastered) still sounds shoddy. Despite all that, "Schizophrenia" is to Sepultura what "Kill 'Em All" and "Show No Mercy" were to Metallica and Slayer: not the best to come from either band, but a good sample of what was to come.

Long before Max Cavalera because a bushman/whigger hybrid, got an adidas endorsement, or grew pink dreadlocks, Sepultura played intense, chromatic thrash in the vein of early Slayer or possibly Possessed. Indeed, one may wonder how Sepultura's presence was barely felt up until the early 90s. One word: location. Before the modern era of telecommunication, and with no means of distributing their records, Sepultura were stuck playing for lizards and primates in the Brazilian jungle.

After your token "scary noises from hell" intro, From the Past Comes the Storm opens off with some simple, yet effective thrash riffage played at hyper speed. The midpaced, grinding style that would later develop on albums like Arise rears it's head every once and a while, but Schitzophrenia more or less relies on gritty riff after riff. Max Cavelara's voice is surprisingly guttural, and may require some adjustment for anyone who is used to his trademark shout.

To the Wall, Septic Schizo, and Troops of Doom (a holdover from their even more savage debut), are the standout tracks, as well as the two instrumentals: inquisition symphony, a 100 mph roller coaster ride that totally destroys the archetype of how much arse an instrumental can kick, and The Abyss, a masterful minute or so acoustic piece. In 87, few bands were playing this extreme (Death, Possessed, maybe Onslaught...), and in 84 (when Morbid Visions was released) even fewer. Also, one must take into consideration their age (17 or 18).

So the final verdict is: breakneck jungle thrash, and Sepultura's first memorable release.

I started listening to Sepultura when Beneath The Remains first came out, in '89. I later found out that they had 2 previous albums, but I wasn't interested at the time. with each album after B.T.R. there was slight improvement and maturity. Sepultura evolved with Arise, and even more so with Chaos AD, and finally with Roots. after 15 years of being a Sepultura fan, I finally decided to go back to the beginning and venture into the pre-Beneath The Remains material. I was pleasantly surprised with Schizophrenia. don't get me wrong, it is definitely raw, and primative compared to B.T.R., but on Schizophrenia they were still a pretty tight and solid thrash metal band. of course each album after that was an improvement on the previous one, but think of Schizophrenia as the Slayer's Hell Awaits, or Anthrax's Spreading The Disease, or Metallica's Ride The Lightning. it is simply put, the prequel to their upcoming masterpiece. the best songs are definitely the new version of Troops Of Doom, and Escape From The Void.

Every song on Schizophrenia shows how real metal is supposed to sound: Raw, fast, aggressive, and in your face. Max Cavelera's raging hateful vocals and rhythm guitar work, Igor Cavelera's (Max's brother) punishing drum work, the fusing bass of Paulo Jr. and Andreas Kiser's guitar solos just devastate you. Get this album if you're a Sepultura fan. Also check out Max's other band Soulfly, they rock too.

I finally got this cd, I have been looking for this CD for awhile now, a great by well worth it.