Customer Reviews

Under A Pale Grey Sky

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I wrote a review of this album sometime back, but I don't think I really explained my stance all that well. Simply put, 'Under a Pale Grey Sky' is the most intense, brutal album I've ever heard. Screw Cryptopsy and Suffocation and Nile and Origin and Meshuggah and Dillinger Escape Plan and Mastodon- Sepultura lays waste to them all on this album. People love to talk about the added energy and intensity that come with live albums, and, frankly, they tend to be full of it a fair amount of the time. Not so here. Max is more animal than man on the vox, the guitars are explosive and dominate the mix, and Igor is pretty out of control on the drums. They're loose, but not too loose, maintaining an unbelievable stomping groove on the later material, and careening, flailing but not quite out of control blur to the thrash numbers. They find the perfect balance- some bands think all you have to do is play as fast as possible, or make your album as bassy as possible, or have the thickest guitar tone, or the most insane vocalist and that'll make you the most extreme band in the world. But, there comes a point where emphasizing one of those traits means ya gotta cut back on some of the others, but you have to have 'em all to be truly intense, truly moving, and you need to still keep the energy and passion, and not become to calculating and artificial. Sepultura finds the perfect balance and plays with incredible intensity, making an album so explosive that it's pretty tough to imagine anything surpassing it substantially.

In lots of ways, this isn't an ideal live album from them, as it massively de-emphasizes their thrash material, which I prefer to the Chaos A.D. and Roots stuff, but they won me over by sheer force of will. No, sheer brutality isn't the sole purpose of metal, or even the main one, but it's certainly not without it's value, and if that's what you're looking for, look no further.

about a month ago i bought a ton of cds on amazon to check out bands that i havent listened to before, and sepultura was one of them. i became extremely proud of myself for buying under a pale grey sky, it is perfect. once you start listening you cant stop until it is over, because every song is so freakin awesome! under a pale grey sky is pretty much pure insane intense music, but also has some other cool stuff, like the weird chanting, talking in a different language, and the audience cheering and going crazy after and before some of the songs... every thing on this album is so perfect... you will never regret buying under a pale grey sky. Sepultura is a very talented band, and both cds show you the band in its prime. did i mention a very very excellent live performance. If you like any other kind of metal or heavy music, this is for you.

They were the last ones to see the mighty Sepultura in their true form. That was the way it was and always should have been; with Max. The quality of this concert is absolutely fantastic. Igor's bass drums stand out significantly, but not enough to drown everything else out. Some complain about it because it was during the Roots tour. Well, I was a fan of the Roots album, and this brings some fresh life into those songs as you can definitely hear Igor's bass drums better than on the Roots record. Some people also complain that Max's voice fades near the end. Honestly, it does just a little bit, but it isn't enough to ruin it at all. Some of the most interesting tracks here are Kaiowas, Beneath the Remains/Mass Hypnosis, Necromancer, Endangered Species, Policia and the cover of We Gotta Know with Strife. The sound quality is crystal clear and everything you would want from a Sepultura show in terms of energy. Sure there aren't any songs from Schizophrenia but you can't have everything. Another problem that some people have is that the band makes no money from this, nope, nadda, zero. Look at their website, you'll see that they don't mention this thing anywhere. Now if that really matters to you, the consumer, then you can go ahead and not buy this, or get it used, but if you are a hardcore Sepultura fan, then chances are you have bought 1 or 2 of the new Sepultura Albums with Derrick. Well, think of it this way. You had to spend your hard earned money on a CD with Derrick. Buying this balances things out. You gave them money for Against or whatever the hell Derrick is leading them and so buying this is a little payback don't you think? Awe well, you don't have to listen to me and my crazy ideas, but I hoped this helped. Max returning to Sepultura would be a godsend and in some ways he has when I listen to this.

I bought this double CD three monts ago with no big expectations; "Roots" was a so-so album with weak lyrics and poor production efforts compared to "Chaos AD" and "Arise", of course. When a friend of mine told me that U.A.P.G.S. was mainly based on the Roots album I hesitated a little but listened to it any ways... boy, was I wrong!. This is THE BEST Sepultura album with Max Cavalera and I don't think they could ever regain that kind of power again. If you're a Sepultura fan this is a "must have" album!!

This live album is the final outing from the classic line up of Sepultura and what a legacy. The set list is amazing, the musicianship is unparalleled, the vox & guitars by Max are great, the band is tight and this is what heavy thrash metal is all about. Sepultura even in their new form as well as Soulfly will put Poptallica to shame any day. This is real live metal from one of if not the best metal band ever.

this live double cd covers their career pretty well(i'd prefer more B>T>R> & arise matterial but this is full of great songs from the earlier years and some great rarities mainly the cromags we gotta know and this is a very long set with many twists and turns and unexpected surpises accoustic set included.this will stand very well the test of time as a testamonial of sepultura's fame and talent.now me not being a big roots fan at all some of these live songs have stuck well on me and converted my oppion of the roots cd being bad to well there are good songs on it too.you will not find this magnatude of sepultura set again after max's departure!

max company sound as heavy as ever ! yes this was recorded in 1996 its fiting look back at group that helped put braziling death metal on the map and bands like that come to mind are krisiun and all other groups that i can't think of but any way buy this great heavy cd!!

Even though Sepultura's manager's son had recently passed away from a fatal car accident, the band still demanded she be fired. Unfortunately, she was also married to singer Max Cavalera. So, four months after the death of his wife's son, Max played his last ever show with Sepultura. Roadrunner records released this concert (recorded on two C.D.'s) as a cash-in, of sorts. Sepultura (with new singer Derrick Green) had left the record label in 2001 and Roadrunner wanted to compete with Max's newly formed and successful band, Soulfly. Like most live albums, "Under A Pale Grey Sky," which was recorded at the Brixton Academy in England, is like a greatest hits album (it's composed of the band's best and most popular songs), but it is probably better than any greatest hits album could ever be. A superb vitality and intensity runs throughout these songs, and the album is never monotonous, because it's composed with just the right amount of fast and mid-tempo songs. The crowd noise is at a very controlled minimum; the fans are only audible when the band isn't playing, and when Max trades off singing parts with them (which he does rarely). And there is some post-song banter with the crowd (i.e. "What's up, London?!"), but it never gets in the way of the songs. Andreaas Kisser is still the same iconic, nimble-fingered guitarist that he was on the studio albums, and Max's deep, growly vocals sound tailor made for the band's downtuned riffs and roar. But Sepultura also make room for their innovative acoustic strums and tribal drums (on tracks such as "Itsari," "Attitude," and, of course, "Kaiowas"). The first track, the intro, is worth listening to, so you can hear Max bellow "Greetings!" But "Roots Bloody Roots," the hit single from Sepultura's then new album, "Roots," is the first real song of the album. Its surging, bullying guitars and gnarly yells sound great."Territory" also sounds quite awesome, with churning guitars and pounding, bottom-heavy double bass drumming. Track five is just an interlude, and "Attitude" (which Max dedicates to Dana, his deceased step-son) never really gets off the ground, so, by track nine, you're longing for some fast and brutal song from Sep's first four albums. Luckily, Max asks "Ready for something old?", and the band rocket through renditions of "Troops of Doom" and "Beneath the Remains/Mass Hypnosis." These songs have vicious, blindingly fast guitar work and insane drumming. Two songs later, "Necromancer" is another fast thrasher, with buzzsaw riffs that rip through the listener's speakers. Then for track fourteen, Max and Co. leap forward a decade ("from 1986 to 1996") and play the catchy tune, "Dusted." Aside from track seven, "Attitude," the listener has to wait until the second disc to hear anything off of 1993's "Chaos A.D." album. Fortunately, the wait pays off. "Refuse/Resist" and "Biotech Is Godzilla" are so energetic and bouncy, they're arguably better than the original versions. The mosh pits (during these songs) must have been stupid! Later on, "Arise/Dead Embryonic Cells," "Innerself," and "Policia" are also seething, immensely heavy thrashers with scorching guitar work that sounds made to get the mosh pits swirling (in fact, "Policia," which features a guest cameo by Stryper, is dedicated to "everyone in the mosh pit.") Song number eleven, "Kaiowas," which is a famous staple of Sepultura's live show, is perfectly executed and sounds beautiful (except for an out-of-place, mid-song yell of "Come on London!" from Max). The album (and concert) end on a strong note, however; "Ratamahatta" and "Orgasmatron" (a famous Motorhead cover) are both powerful, heavy rockers. "Under A Pale Grey Sky" does have a few small flaws; Max's voice sounds kind of hoarse on "Spit" (even though the concert just started). Plus, "Born Stubborn" is pretty catchy, but not as catchy as the original, and "Endangered Species" kind of stalls in the middle and drags on for too long. But, as a whole, this is another great, classic Sepultura album that's essential listening. It's primo if you're new to the band and you want a sampler, but it's also great for nostalgic fans. Max will probably never rejoin Sepultura, but "Under A Pale Grey Sky" is an excellent C.D. for remembering his glory days.

"Under a Pale Grey Sky" captures Sepultura's last performance with original vocalist Max Cavalera (before he founded Soulfly) and serves as a time capsule of one of metal's most legendary and influential bands. This massive two disc set sports a near flawless track listing of fan favorite songs and the sound quality is pretty good as well, but towards the end of Disc 2, as a previous reviewer stated, Max's voice really starts to go and it can become a bit grating. Other than that, "Under a Pale Grey Sky" is a great live compilation of the legendary Brazilian thrash metal band, and even though this is a live album it is an essential purchase for fans of the band new and old.

The above lyrics from Born Stubborn tell it all. Since Max Cavalera's split from Sepultura it has become abundantly clear that he was the driving creative force behind the band. With Nation, Against, and Roorback, the "New" Sepultura with Derrick Green pales in comparison to this once proud metal juggernaut. This 2-CD live set represents some of Sepultura's best material. Beneath the Remains/Mass Hypnosis, Troops of Doom, Policia, Arise/Dead Embryonic Cells, Refuse/Resist, Territory and Biotech is Godzilla absolutely smoke and truly represent the glory days of this band. I only gave Under a Pale Grey Sky 4 stars because there is too much concentration on the Roots album which in my opinion was subpar. Tracks like Cut-Throat, Attitude and Straighthate are the best of the newer tracks and still have a pretty hard edge to them. Overall, Under A Pale Grey Sky is a fitting obituary to the "real" Sepultura and a must own for any metal fan. Highly Recommended.