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July 24, 2008 |
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DVD 1
01. Apes Of God
02. Slave New World
03. Propaganda
04. Attitude
05. Choke
06. Innerself / Beneath The Remains
07. Escape To The Void
08. Mindwar
09. Troops Of Doom
10. Necromancer
11. Sepulnation
12. Refuse / Resist
13. Territory
14. Black Steel In The Hour Of Chaos
15. Bullet The Blue Sky
16. Reza
17. Biotech Is Godzilla
18. Arise / Dead Embryonic Cells
19. Come Back Alive
20. Roots Bloody Roots
Bonus Material:
- Making Of
- Band Biography
DVD 2
Documentary
Video Clips And Live Songs:
Videos:
- Mind War
- Bullet The Blue Sky
- Choke
Live Songs:
- Nomad
- Desperate Cry
- Territory
Slideshow
Credits"
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SEPULTURA, a then relatively unknown group of kids from Brazil started appearing on metalheads' radar with their intoxicating blend of Death and Thrash Metal with the release of 1989's "Beneath The Remains". That, and its two immediate successors, "Arise" and "Chaos A.D.", saw the band gain worldwide recognition. SEPULTURA had their own inner turmoil and 1997 saw guitarist/vocalist Max Cavalera leave at the height of the band's career. Enter new vocalist, American-born Derrick Green.
After a drawn-out affair with some guy dressed like a street magician preaching away in another language with a few bikini-clad women by his side, the band finally takes the stage to the delight of the crowd. Founding members Igor Cavalera (drums) and Paula Jr. (bass), longtime member Andreas Kisser (guitar), and most recent addition, Derrick Green (vocals) put on a fairly energetic show with plenty of visible crowd appreciation, as expected, with this essentially being a "hometown" gig for the band. The band plow through an interesting blend of the entire SEPULTURA catalog, along with some special guests including former guitarist Jairo Guedz, Zé Gonzáles, B-Negao, João Gordo, and KRISIUN's Alex Camargo.
Igor is a versatile yet often overlooked Metal drummer and his performance here is strong as ever. Andreas is very entertaining to watch, as his fingers dance across the frets. Paulo provides a solid backbone to each and every song, his bass lines complimenting Igor's drums. Older treasured tracks such as "Beneath The Remains", "Troops Of Doom", and "Refuse/Resist" suffer as Derrick Green seems to struggle getting across the punishing vocal effect that these songs need. His presentation and menacing growl seem better on the more recent songs, the songs he's closer to including "Apes Of God", "Sepulnation", and "Come Back Alive". It's not that I don't like Derrick or Derrick-era SEPULTURA. I, like many others, am just a bigger fan of the band's older material, and it just seems to be that Max was a crucial element in all of that.
I couldn't believe my eyes when I spotted a DJ beside Igor "scratching" away. I had to press pause to ensure I hadn't fallen asleep and was indeed still watching a SEPULTURA DVD. I found it very difficult to continue watching after this, but I did. To my joy, (followed by almost immediate dismay), they kick the DJ off the stage and later bring out the Brazilian version of Fat Joe to assist on vocals. I couldn't tell if this guy was puking or attempting to sing. I'm all for letting your buddies sing on your albums if you want, but the fans that come to the shows are there to see the four guys that make up SEPULTURA.
The 12-minute "Making of..." is rather boring, but you have to ask yourself the question, "Exactly how exciting do you think the making of a live DVD would be?" The band biography is no more than scrolling text set over music; if I wanted to read about SEPULTURA, I would buy a magazine or peruse the band's website, not watch a DVD.
The videos on Disc 2 are nice to have; as we all know how often SEPULTURA sees airtime on music video channels these days. I would have to say that the audio quality of the extra three live clips might very well be superior to that of Disc 1. Green's documentary is a 24-minute collection of mostly backstage and live footage which has voiceover by Green as he tells his story of his trip to Brazil for the vocal audition, his acceptance into the band etc. The slideshow runs a little under 2 minutes and is just that, a handful of photos shown for a few seconds each.
The video presentation is incredible with plenty of close-ups of all band members at key times (ie: I'm not looking at the drummer when there's a guitar solo going on!) in addition to the mild and timely transitions. The video production team did a fantastic job and they definitely earned their salaries. The sound quality was not as impressive; I'd rank it only "good" in both Stereo and Dolby 5.1 formats. I found the drums to be a little overpowering in the mix, especially the triggered bass drums. A little less drum and a little more guitar would've balanced things out properly. For an audience that appeared to be quite into the show, you really can't tell from the audio track alone as the crowd noise seemed to be basically filtered right out. I think that if you're providing a live CD/DVD, you've got to at least let the crowd be heard.
SEPULTURA's post-Max efforts have continued to travel in an even more experimental direction since the release of "Roots". Now, I don't know if this is attributable to Max's departure and Green's arrival, or a premeditated change, but it appears that this is one of many reasons for the shrinking size of the Sepulnation in recent years. With much media speculation regarding Max's forthcoming return to the SEPULTURA family, this live performance with Derrick Green fronting may possibly become a significant part of Sepul-history. Be sure to get your hands on this one regardless.
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