The Brazilian thrashers are back! Ever since the show in Amsterdam I’ve been extremely anxious to hear the album again. Again? Yes! Just before that show I had joined in on the listening session and come out very satisfied. But you can’t judge an album by hearing it only once; so I was glad when a couple of weeks ago I finally got the album in my hands. With the intro track “Come Back Alive” I was again overwhelmed by the heaviness of this album. It’s also technically a lot better than the previous records they did with the band’s still fairly new singer Derrick Green. Personally, I wasn’t too crazy about “Against” and “Nation”, although the latter was an improvement over the first. But not good enough, due to the guest appearances, making the record not a real Sepultura effort. Now the band’s back with “Roorback”; an album that is soaked in political statements, much like the band’s previous efforts before the “Roots” era. A welcome change, if you ask me. Not only did the band go back to their lyrical roots, they also went through a major musical change. From “Come Back Alive” to tracks like “Mindwar” and “Corrupted” you notice Sepultura’s older, rawer sound.

This is mostly because of guitarist Andreas Kisser and bassist Paulo Jr. who still seem to be very happy about the band’s older work. Thanks to this, Sepultura is taking a huge step forward. Vocalist Derrick Green also seems to fit in a lot better now that some time has passed. His vocals are a lot more brutal and his voice just fits in so much better than on “Against” for example. Lyrically, Green spits out his political thoughts with great anger and brutalizes your ears with his hissing voice. And how can we miss out on “the brother” Igor Cavalera…his drumming also seems to have taken to the band’s previous material in the “Chaos A.D.” era. His drum skills now sound a lot heavier and more diverse. Usage of double kicks and a combination of various rhythms make Igor appear like an awesome drummer again. “Roorback” gets to a point of rest with “More Of The Same” but then ploughs on with the heavy “Urge”, so not much of the heaviness is lost. What’s left to say? Sepultura have made an astonishing come back with their refreshingly heavy sound on “Roorback” and have earned my respect once again with this great album. Sepultura is a whole again!