:: Soulfly - Conquer

Soulfly

This is Soulfly's sixth album, and another milestone in the remarkable career of Max Cavalera. We'd seen how impressive the Cavalera Conspiracy album was earlier in the year. Now, the much awaited Soulfly album has arrived with all the aggressive, riff-laden sounds we would expect. A title like “Blood Fire War Hate” sets the pattern (just by mentioning those words, let alone the thrashy nature of the song. It also contains vocals by David Vincent (Morbid Angel). This is followed by another impacting track titled “Unleash”, quite brutal and exhilarating in its own way. Then, we get a taste of folk melodies and Middle Eastern sounds. Max had travelled to Egypt and brought back gypsy sounds that he could integrate into the heavy-riffing Soulfly sound. It works a treat because the world music element doesn't diminish the band's intensity. The inventive guitar work of Mark Rizzo comes into his own with devastating effect on tracks like “Enemy Ghost” and “Fall of the Cypophants”. The key to Max's music philosophy has been to represent power in delivery. “Conquer” stands tall in this regard with a bludgeoning brand of metal with Max continuing to work new influences (world and electronic music) into a real heavy assault.