The stalwart
Max Cavalera-led metal ensemble's 11th full-length effort,
Ritual commences with the familiar sounds of tribal drums and chants, which are eventually laid to waste by the four-alarm-fire wail of
Marc Rizzo's Washburn seven-string. Add to the blaze the seismic heft of
Cavalera's 60-grit vocals and the savage rhythm section of
Mike Leon (bass) and
Cavalera's son
Zyon (drums), and you've got one of
Soulfly's best opening salvos in ages. Steeped in the lurching, groove-laden thrash attack of the band's late-'90s/early-2000s heyday,
Ritual evokes the savagery of
Cavalera's tenure with
Sepultura, eschewing some of the more overt world music predilections that have come to define
Soulfly over the years with something leaner and more uncompromising -- some of that sonic fury can be attributed to producer
Josh Wilbur (
Killer Be Killed,
Gojira), who has described himself as a
Sepultura superfan. Also joining the fray are
Lamb of God's
Randy Blythe, who stops by for the punishing, Hellraiser-inspired "Dead Behind the Eyes," and
Immolation's
Ross Dolan, who lends his shredded tonsils to the apocalyptic "Under Rapture." As per usual, it's
Cavalera who looms largest over the proceedings, attacking every syllable with a level of immediacy and vitriol that feels antithetical to the group's long tenure. That vitality is most heavily felt on late-album gem "Feedback!," a blast of
Motoerhead-worshiping punk-metal that just barely hits the three-minute mark. The only real misstep, and it's entirely forgivable considering the band's penchant for eclecticism, is the instrumental closer, a jazz-kissed metal-lite confection -- it has a sax solo -- that comes off like a dour riff on the opening moments of
Metallica's "One." ~ James Christopher Monger
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