Sepultura are back with their twelfth studio album - Kairos (Greek for the most opportune moment), which seems to be a concept albums of sorts. Musically they take the back-to-basics approach, returning to their straightforward, crushing and unrelenting Thrash of Beneath the Remains. Sure Kairos manages to bludgeon everything in it's path and what not, but does so sort of weakly. What I must concede is that it's definitely a step in the right direction, it still has the Sepultura DNA in it.
Thematically the album is based on the concept of "Kairos" or the most opportune moment and deals with time and transcendentalism. Four of the tracks, each lasting for about thirty seconds or so are dates and the significance of each of those dates is as follows - 2011 is Gregorian calendar year we live in, 1433 is current year in the Islamic calendar, 5772 being the current year of the Hebrew calendar and finally 4648 having the same significance in the Chinese calendar.
The album sounds very dark, raw and stripped down. The seething anger pulsating in riff after riff is evident from the very first track. Furious drumming, thundering basslines, guttural vocals, violent riffage and stabbing solos all enforce the downright brutality of the album, it seems like the album will explode at any point, but rather unfortunately never does, which is something you really expect given Roy Z is producing the album of one of the most energetic and bombastic bands. Green's pagan chants/yelps on quite a few tracks seem like a kickback to the Sepultura of yore, but if you're expecting the primal slogans and tribal beats from back in the day then forget it, it is but a thing of the past. Kisser after a long time feels unchained and unshackled and its there to show in virtually every solo. All the songs sound very similar which makes the album very monotonous to listen to.
Kairos begins its onslaught with Spectrum, some very traditional Thrash/Death that takes it's roots from Chaos A.D. As with most songs in this album, Kisser's solos are the saving grace, beyond which the song doesn't have too much to offer.
Spectrum is followed by the title track, one of the better tracks on this album. It has that very evil, Slayer-vibe to it that will instantly hook the listener in. No nonsense Thrash, bestial vocals and a battering rhythm section, what the fuck else can you ask for?
Spectrum is followed by the title track, one of the better tracks on this album. It has that very evil, Slayer-vibe to it that will instantly hook the listener in. No nonsense Thrash, bestial vocals and a battering rhythm section, what the fuck else can you ask for?
Continuing in the vein of Kairos is Relentless an enraged, wrathful, nut-wrenching track championed by the aggressive basslines of Paolo Jr.
The fourth track 2011 is the conceptual part of the album, with random noises and sounds being played. The same goes for 1433 and 5722.
At position five is the cover of Ministry's Just One Fix. Works very well surprisingly, impressive cover the way it works it's way around the Industrial elements.
In at six and seven are Dialog and Mask, the fillers. Nothing particularly interesting barring a couple of bridge sections.
Seethe, the ninth track, feels a lot like an old school Death Metal song. Exceptional stuff really, feels wasted on this album.
Born Strong is a blistering, relentless violent Thrash attack that packs a lot of shitload of aggression and power. Amongst the gems of the album.
Embrace the Storm is a welcome break from all the speed and fury of the previous tracks. Some mid-tempo Thrash with technical leanings and a masterful solo elevate it. The vocals however don't work on this track.
No One Will Stand is yet again filler material, but the Andreas Kisser's middle-eastern-tinged soloing works wonders on the songs. Goes back and forth from straightforward Death to raw Thrash. Kisser does a stellar job on his part.
Structure Violence (Azzes) the penultimate track (in the deluxe edition, or the last track otherwise) is a throwback to the Groove Metal days, with tribal drumming, Brazilian chants and the works. Slow, chugging riffs and rhythm surprisingly do well in an album that fields some fast and fiery tracks.
No One Will Stand is yet again filler material, but the Andreas Kisser's middle-eastern-tinged soloing works wonders on the songs. Goes back and forth from straightforward Death to raw Thrash. Kisser does a stellar job on his part.
Structure Violence (Azzes) the penultimate track (in the deluxe edition, or the last track otherwise) is a throwback to the Groove Metal days, with tribal drumming, Brazilian chants and the works. Slow, chugging riffs and rhythm surprisingly do well in an album that fields some fast and fiery tracks.
Overview : Kairos is not the top notch stuff that we have come to expect but a sub-par Sepultura, a slowly redeeming one nonetheless. This certainly isn't the best that Sepultura can offer though the return to roots principle is gladly welcomed. Although credit must be given to the band for continuing to experiment with their sound as opposed to producing watered down Metal to appease and bring back to the fold the "It-isn't-Sepultura-without-the-Cavaleras" bunch.
Genre : Thrash Metal, Death Metal
Track Listing :
Title | Writer(s) | Length |
1."Spectrum" | Sepultura | 4:03 |
2."Kairos" | Sepultura | 3:37 |
3."Relentless" | Sepultura | 3:36 |
4."2011" | Sepultura | 0:30 |
5."Just One Fix (Ministry Cover)" | Sepultura | 3:33 |
6."Dialog" | Sepultura | 4:57 |
7."Mask" | Sepultura | 4:31 |
8."1433" 9."Seethe" 10."Born Strong" 11."Embrace the Storm" 12."5772" 13."No One Will Stand" 14. "Structure Violence (Azzes)" 15. "4648" | Sepultura Sepultura Sepultura Sepultura Sepultura Sepultura Sepultura Sepultura | 0:31 2:27 4:40 3:32 0:29 3:17 5:39 0:29 |
Total Album Time : 45:51
Personnel/Contributors :
- Derrick Green - Lead Vocals
- Andreas Kisser - Lead Guitars
- Paula Jr. - Bass
- Jean Dolabella - Drums
- Roy Z - Production
- Eric Sayers - Cover Art
Release Date : 24 June 2011
Recorded : December 2010 - March 2011, Trama Studios, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Supporting Tour : Kairos World Tour
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