Roots (Sepultura album)

Roots
Studio album by Sepultura
Released February 20, 1996
Recorded October – December 1995
Studio Indigo Ranch in Malibu, California
Genre Groove metal,[1] nu metal,[1][2][3] death metal[4][5][6][7]
Length 72:08
Label Roadrunner
Producer Ross Robinson, Sepultura
Sepultura chronology
Chaos A.D.
(1993)		 Roots
(1996)		 Against
(1998)
Singles from Roots
  1. "Roots Bloody Roots"
    Released: February 18, 1996
  2. "Attitude"
    Released: June 1996
  3. "Ratamahatta"
    Released: October 1996

Roots is the sixth studio album by Brazilian heavy metal band Sepultura. It was released on February 20, 1996 by Roadrunner Records, and was the band's last studio album to feature founding member and vocalist Max Cavalera. Following the experimentalism of the album Chaos A.D., Roots has more influence from Brazilian musical rhythms, and features Brazilian musician Carlinhos Brown, percussionist David Silveria, turntablist DJ Lethal, and vocalists Jonathan Davis and Mike Patton. Roots sold more than 2 million copies worldwide. The album has been identified as influential to the nu metal scene that followed in its wake,[1] and helped lay the framework for the sound of Cavalera's later project, Soulfly.

Production

The album was produced by Ross Robinson. The majority of the themes presented on Roots are centered on Brazilian politics and culture.[8] The concept for the album was inspired by the film At Play in the Fields of the Lord. The movie inspired Max Cavalera to travel to Mato Grosso, Brazil to visit the Xavante tribe.[9] The album cover features an indigenous woman taken from a banknote of the discontinued Brazilian cruzeiro, to which artist Michael Whelan added a locket with Sepultura's "tribal S" logo and a background of red roots.[10][11]

Musical style and influences

The inspiration for Sepultura's new musical direction was twofold. One was the desire to further experiment with the music of Brazil, especially the percussive type played by Salvador, Bahia samba reggae group Olodum.[12] Another innovation Roots brought was the inspiration taken from the sound of Korn - especially their debut, with its heavily down-tuned guitars.[13]

The style of Roots is influenced by and draws from world music,[6] death metal,[5] nu metal,[3] thrash metal[3] and groove metal.[1]

The band incorporated these elements into almost all songs in the album, and one of them ("Itsári") was actually recorded with members of the Xavante Indians at their ancestral home. Meeting the Xavante Indians meant a lot to Sepultura. Igor says that the band identified a lot with the natives: "In a certain way, I think that we, as a band, had a lot of things in common with the Xavante Indians. We also lived on the edge of society, and our music and lifestyle is a long way from being assimilated and respected by that society."[14] A spokesman of the tribe declared: "We had seen pictures of Sepultura and we knew that they were different, with their long hair and many tattoos. We also knew that they had been discriminated, like we were. Because of that we were very curious about them."[14] Some songs also include participation ("Ratamahatta", "Dictatorshit" and "Endangered Species") and co-writing ("Ratamahatta") from Carlinhos Brown, a popular Brazilian musician. The political theme and influence of hardcore punk on the album are further reflected in the topic of "Dictatorshit", namely the 1964 Brazilian coup d'état.[8] The lyrics to "Attitude" were co-written by Dana Wells, Max Cavalera's stepson, whose death (in part) led to the events which caused Max to leave the band. Dana also came up with the concept for the video for the song, featuring Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu experts the Gracie family.

In 2008, speaking to Kerrang!, Max Cavalera remembered:

Roots came from a blurry dream I had about going to the rainforest. Wine may have been involved. In the end, when we actually went into the forest to record, it was unbelievable. The whole album was a huge personal journey for me, and as a Brazilian, it felt as an incredible achievement. Everyone was inspired and Igor was at the top of his game. The percussion was crazy and we worked with so many great musicians, in the end coming out with a 15-minutes drum jam that someone likened to a crazy Brazilian Pink Floyd. When we took the album to Roadrunner they loved it except for the title. They thought it would sound like a Bob Marley tribute album. We explained it to them, and thankfully they got it.[15]

Long-time friend Mike Patton (of alternative metal band Faith No More) and Jonathan Davis (of nu metal band Korn) provided lyrics and vocals on the song "Lookaway". The last words in the song "Cut-Throat" are "Enslavement, Pathetic, Ignorant, Corporations". This spells EPIC, the record company with which Sepultura had some trouble during their previous album, Chaos A.D.[8]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
Entertainment WeeklyC−[16]
NME(7/10)[17]
Q[17]
Robert Christgau[18]
Rolling Stone[19]
Spin(6/10)[17]
Stylus MagazineA− (1996)
B− (2005 Rerelease)[20]
Yahoo! Music(favorable)[21]

American newspapers like The New Times, the Daily News and the Los Angeles Times reviewed the Brazilian band: "The mixture of the dense metal of Sepultura and the Brazilian music has a intoxicating effect", wrote a Los Angeles Times reviewer.[14] The Daily News praised the album saying: "Sepultura reinvented the wheel. By mixing metal with native instruments, the band resuscitates the tired genre, reminding of Led Zeppelin times. But while Zeppelin mixed English metal with African beats, it's still more moving to hear a band that uses elements of its own country. By extracting the sounds of the past, Sepultura determines the future direction of metal".[22]

Specialized heavy metal critics also reviewed the album positively. Martin Popoff, author of the book The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal, ranked Roots as the 11th best metal record of all time. "This is a spectacular metal and futurist hardcore LP", wrote Popoff, "a masterpiece, accomplished by a band with an enormous heart and an even larger intellect". Kerrang! magazine awarded Roots second place in the list of "100 records that you have to hear before dying"; just after In Utero from Nirvana.[22] In 2001 Q magazine named Roots as one of the 50 Heaviest Albums Of All Time.[23] Rolling Stone Brasil named it the 57th best Brazilian music album.[24] Rolling Stone (3/21/96, p. 98) gave the album three stars out of five and said, "Sepultura play a violent game of sonic overload... the band uses its catharsis as a creative force, funneling torrents of noise into a tunnel of hate." Music critic Robert Christgau gave the album a negative "dud" rating.[25]

Track listing

All lyrics written by Max Cavalera, except where noted; all music composed by Sepultura, except where noted. 

No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Roots Bloody Roots"    3:32
2."Attitude"  Max Cavalera, Dana Wells 4:15
3."Cut-Throat"    2:44
4."Ratamahatta" (feat. David Silveria & Carlinhos Brown)Sepultura, Carlinhos BrownSepultura, Carlinhos Brown4:30
5."Breed Apart"  Andreas Kisser, Max Cavalera 4:01
6."Straighthate"    5:21
7."Spit"    2:45
8."Lookaway" (feat. Jonathan Davis, Mike Patton & DJ Lethal)Jonathan DavisSepultura, DJ Lethal5:26
9."Dusted"  Andreas Kisser 4:03
10."Born Stubborn"    4:07
11."Jasco"  (instrumental)Andreas Kisser1:57
12."Itsári"  (instrumental)Xavante Tribe, Sepultura4:48
13."Ambush"    4:39
14."Endangered Species"    5:19
15."Dictatorshit"    1:26
16."Canyon Jam" (unlisted hidden track)(instrumental) 13:16
Total length:72:08

The Roots of Sepultura

The Roots of Sepultura
Compilation album by Sepultura
Released 29 November 1996
Genre Thrash metal, death metal
Length 73:37
Language English, Portuguese
Label Roadrunner
Compiler Monte Conner, Borivoj Krgin
Sepultura chronology
The Roots of Sepultura
(1996)		 Blood-Rooted
(1997)

The Roots of Sepultura is a double-disc album by Sepultura, released in November 1996. It was a collection of unreleased tracks, b-sides, alternate mixes, and live recordings.[26] This release is unique from Roots and the 2005 25th Anniversary Roots album as the B-Sides disc has a drastically different series of tracks. This album contains a unique cover of tracks by Motörhead, Dead Kennedys, Os Mutantes and Ratos de Porão paying tribute to the bands that heavily influenced Sepultura, and also includes tracks from their first live home video Under Siege (Live in Barcelona).

Track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Intro"  1:33
2."C.I.U. (Criminals in Uniform)"  4:17
3."Orgasmatron" (Motörhead cover)4:15
4."Dead Embryonic Cells" (original mix)4:31
5."Desperate Cry" (original mix)6:42
6."Murder" (original mix)3:25
7."Under Siege (Regnum Irae)" (original mix)4:44
8."Necromancer" (demo)3:59
9."The Past Reborns the Storms"  5:08
10."A Hora e a Vez do Cabelo Nascer" (Os Mutantes cover)2:21
11."Drug Me" (Dead Kennedys cover)1:53
12."Crucificados Pelo Sistema" (Ratos de Porão cover, Slave New World 1994 B-Side)1:03
13."Anticop" (live)3:02
14."Intro" (live)1:30
15."Arise" (live)2:51
16."Inner Self" (live)4:42
17."Mass Hypnosis" (live)4:25
18."Escape to the Void" (live)5:03
19."Troops of Doom" (live)2:53
20."Altered State" (live)5:20

Chart positions and award certifications

Album - Billboard (North America)

Year Chart Position
1996 The Billboard 200 27[27]
1996 UK Albums Chart 4[28]

Album - Music recording sales certifications

Year Country Award Number sold
1996 UK Silver 60,000[29]
1997 Australia Gold 35,000[30]
1997 Canada Gold 50,000[31]
1997 France Gold 100,000[32]
1998 Austria Gold 10,000[33]
2001 UK Gold 100,000[29]
2005 USA Gold 500,000[34]
Unknown Netherlands Gold 30,000[35]

Personnel

Sepultura
Guests
Recording
  • Recorded at Indigo Ranch, Malibu, California
  • Produced by Ross Robinson and Sepultura
  • Engineered by Chuck Johnson
  • Additional engineering by Richard Kaplan
  • Second engineered by Rob Agnello
  • Mixed by Andy Wallace at Soundtrack Studios, New York City
  • Mix engineered by Steve Sisco
  • Mastered by George Marino at Sterling Sound, New York City

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Begrand, Adrien. "Sepultura: Roorback". Popmatters. Retrieved 2012-10-28.
  2. ↑ http://loudwire.com/soulfly-sevendust-2013-gathering-of-the-juggalos/
  3. 1 2 3 Dimery 2006 pg 782, "Drawing on Brazilian Latin and tribal music, nu-metal, and Sepultura's own thrash/death style, the results were unique,"
  4. 1 2 Huey, Steve. "Roots - Sepultura". AllMusic. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  5. 1 2 Bukszpan 2003 pg 226, "In 1996, they released Roots, whose down-tuned death metal aggression was tempered by the incorporation of Brazilian musical and precussion instruments,"
  6. 1 2 Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Sepultura - Music Biography, Credits and Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-10-28.
  7. ↑ "Sepultura is coming". Philstar. Retrieved 2012-10-28.
  8. 1 2 3 Barcinski & Gomes 1999, page 150.
  9. ↑ Chirazi, Steffan (2005). "The Roots of Sepultura". Roots (CD booklet). Sepultura. New York, NY: Roadrunner Records. p. 15.
  10. ↑
  11. ↑ SEPULTURA's 'Roots' Is One Of 'Ten Greatest Covers In Roadrunner History', Blabbermouth
  12. ↑ Barcinski & Gomes 1999, pages 113 & 150.
  13. ↑ Chirazi, Steffan (2005). "Closing Thoughts on Roots". Roots (CD booklet). Sepultura. New York, NY: Roadrunner Records. p. 22.
  14. 1 2 3 "Sepultura: Chapter 9: The Calm Before the Storm". Sepultura.be. Retrieved October 27, 2010.
  15. ↑ Cavalera, Max / Beebee, Steve. Kerrang! Magazine. #1213, June 07, 2008. Treasure Chest. An Intimate Portrait Of A Life in Rock. P. 52
  16. ↑ Eddy, Chuck (May 10, 1996). "Roots Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 3, 2012.
  17. 1 2 3 "Sepultura - Roots CD Album". CD Universe. Retrieved December 3, 2012.
  18. ↑ Christgau, Robert. "CG: Sepultura". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved December 3, 2012.
  19. ↑ Wiederhorn, Jon (March 21, 1996). "Sepultura: Roots : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone: 98. Archived from the original on December 29, 2007. Retrieved December 3, 2012.
  20. ↑ Lee, Cosmo (June 23, 2005). "Sepultura - Roots - Review". Stylus Magazine. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  21. ↑ Masuo, Sandy (March 12, 1996). "Roots". Yahoo! Music. Archived from the original on August 31, 2005. Retrieved December 3, 2012.
  22. 1 2 Barcinski & Gomes, page 153.
  23. ↑ "Q 50 Heaviest Albums Of All Time". Rocklist.net. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  24. ↑ "Os 100 maiores discos da música brasileira" (in Portuguese). Umas Linhas. 2007-12-20. Archived from the original on 2010-07-02. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
  25. ↑ Christgau, Robert. "Robert Christgau: CG 90s: Key to Icons". Robert Christgau Official Website. Retrieved 2011-10-20.
  26. ↑ Prato, Greg. "The Roots of Sepultura review". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 December 2011.
  27. ↑ "Top Music Charts - Hot 100 - Billboard 200 - Music Genre Sales". Billboard Music Charts. Retrieved 2008-04-27. External link in |publisher= (help)
  28. ↑ "SEPULTURA: Discography: Career Albums". MusicMight: The World's Biggest Rock Resource on the Web. Retrieved 2008-05-24. External link in |publisher= (help)
  29. 1 2 "Certified awards". THE BPI. Archived from the original on 2008-04-09. Retrieved 2008-05-03. External link in |publisher= (help)
  30. ↑ "ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 1997 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 2008-05-23. External link in |publisher= (help)
  31. ↑ "Search Certification Database". Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA). Retrieved 2008-04-27. External link in |publisher= (help)
  32. ↑ "Les certifications Albums - Année 1997". Musique sur Disque en France (SNEP). Archived from the original on 2007-12-17. Retrieved 2008-04-27. External link in |publisher= (help)
  33. ↑ "Gold und Platin Datenbank". IFPI Austria, Verband der Österreichischen Musik Wirstchaft. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved 2008-04-27. External link in |publisher= (help)
  34. ↑ "GOLD AND PLATINUM - Searchable Database". RIAA. Retrieved 2008-04-27. External link in |publisher= (help)
  35. ↑ "Goud/Platina Muziek". nvpi. Retrieved 2008-04-27. External link in |publisher= (help)
Further reading
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