09/02/04

SOULFLY / PROPHECY

This is Max’s 4th Soulfly CD and it sees him and the band experimenting a bit more than usual and trying to expand the Soulfly soundscape and for the most part it does work. I think there will be some fans that don’t like all the tracks but Max command’s such loyal following and respect that he knows they will be with him all the way.

The title track kicks off in fine style and like "Back To The Primitive" it’s full of great Metallic riffs with a strong tribal rhythm that has become their trademark. "The Living Sacrifice" starts off with such a simple riff and builds into a monster of a song and Finnish’s with a another tribal workout, "Execution Style" is next and it’s short, sharp, brutal and Max at his best, reminiscent of his earlier work with Sepultura "Beneath The Remains era. "Defeat U" is just as intense and aggressive in content and will be a live favourite it’s when it get’s to "Mars" Max begins to experiment, starting off with a warlike riff halfway through it degrades into Salsa drive Jazz mood and then mutates into Ska/Dub and finishes off by mixing the two, very different.

The following track "I Believe" has a different feel as well and has a very strong Melodic piece full of Latin flavour, (not too dissimilar form Ill Nino) and the spoke verse works really well, intertwined with the Soulfly aggression it’s a Behemoth of a song. The Ska Metal returns with "Moses" and reminds me a bit of Dub War, (anyone remember them) and is complete with a horn section and as Reggae goes, it’s really good, could be a crossover song. The more familiar Soulfly sound returns with "Born Again Anarchist" and is the guys just letting rip, just how we like them, "In The Meantime" is in similar vein, then come the instrumental "Soulfy 4" and like the previous 3 is a showcase for Max’s guitar prowess and proves that yes he can play.

The final track is believe it or not a pure R&B track called "Wings" that lets the band fly free of the Metal, with a soulful voice and could easily be one of those quirky hits, imagine the shock fans of this type of music would get if they only heard this track. This is a very different feel for Soulfly on certain tracks but when they rock they ROCK like no other buy and listen with an open mind, remember there are only two types of music! Good and Bad.

TOTAL PLAYING TIME = 55 mins + 12 TRACKS