Search - Soulfly :: Dark Ages

Donald G. from SEATTLE, WA
Reviewed on 11/30/2007...

Dark Ages is a bit different from most Soulfly releases. I personally like the more tribal sound; Dark Ages doesn't have much of it. There's really no stand-out track. That, unfortunately, is a strike against it. It sounds like so much other in the metal genre. Soulfly, Soulfly 3, and Prophecy are much more enjoyable releases.

The Bab E Lon!

Christopher Wanko | Nutley, NJ USA | 11/22/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD is easily the most accessible effort since the 2nd of the Soulfly discography, and what I found most interesting is how he incorporates some old-school metal devices in these songs to create something fresh... or am I the only one who noticed how Maiden-like some of the guitar choruses sounded, or the double-bass backbeats of late 80s rockers Testament?



Nah, no way. Fans of old-school and 90s metal need to have this album right now. If you thought Max lost his way in prior works, shake it off and check this out. It's surprisingly heavy, heavier than Slayer's Christ Illusion or Meshuggah's first album. Those who know, will recognize how truly metal that really is.



-Fred



"

Darker days ahead ?

R. Lyakhovetsky | Maale Adumim, Jerusalem Israel | 04/30/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"From the moment Max Cavalera was out from the band he fronted for more than 10 years (Sepultura, of course...), he was facing the dilemma that pursues anyone who steps aside from an established act. He could stick to the proven formula (after all he was the principal songwriter of the band) and continue working in his familiar style. Otherwise, he could build his new band from scratch. He chose another part - taking the modus operandi of the last Sepultura albums Chaos A.D. and Roots - he broadened and expanded it, further establishing the tribe-metal style. However the first lineup of this outfit lacked the crucial ingredients for further buildup. The major drawback was absence of a stable lead guitarist. The only constant bandmember these years was the bass player Marcello Diaz (former Sepultura roadie).

Prior to the recording of the Prophecy album Max came with the inevitable change. Entered ex-Ill Nino flamenco-shredder Marc Rizzo. For me he is complimenting Max the Riffmeister much better than Sepultura axeman Andreas Kisser. Their teamwork proved itself well in the band's two last outputs.

Dark Ages is the most recent Soulfly record, released in 2005. The overall vibe is very much Sepultura-like, pushing forward thrashing riffs instead of decorating with them fusion experiments that were prominent on previous releases. Outstanding songs for me would be I and I that fuses Max's trademark diesel riffs with a nice mellow passage, solid thrashers Babylon, Carved Inside, and Arise Again (a nod to the Sepultura glory days?). Several misses I found here are: the stupid singing in Russian on Molotov song (F^&*k the war, maneuvers are the main thing -?!!!!) that is pretty lame anyway, the familiar tribal drumming and chanting about Zumbi the hero - we've been in this movie already. Finally, the too long instrumental Soulfly V. In general, this is the finest Soulfly album (apart from its predecessor maybe - the excellent Prophecy). Hopefully this lineup of the band will produce more great music!!!

"