Review: Warrel Dane, "Praises to the War Machine"

When you play in a group of extremely talented musicians who are all trying to grab their piece of the spotlight, it’s no surprise that, at some point, you’d want to do your own record and put yourself in the spotlight. Already considered one of the best vocalists in metal, Warrel Dane now indulges his own tastes a bit to showcase that voice outside the confines of Nevermore. He’s recruited ex-Soilworkers Peter Wichers (who also recorded and mixed the record) and Dirk Verbeuren and Matt Wicklund, formerly of Himsa, to back him on a record that, while not alien-sounding to Nevermore fans, allows Dane to stretch his horizons.

It’s an easy and obvious comparison, but Praises to the War Machine is somewhat similar to a Bruce Dickinson solo record, in that it’s a record that allows Dane to be the star of the show without having to share time with other band members. Like Dickinson’s records, in some ways this one is almost superior to Nevermore. There’s certainly a bigger focus here on song structures and songwriting than technicality. Not every song needs a blast of virtuosic performance, not even from Dane himself. It also gives Dane a chance to show more of his range from the warbling vocals Nevermore fans are familiar with to some nice lower register work which is surprising in spots.

The record is, at times, a bit indulgent, but that’s really the point of a solo record. There are certainly things you’d never hear on a Nevermore record, like a fairly faithful cover of the Sisters of Mercy’s “Lucretia My Reflection” - one of the highlights of the record - or the melancholy, almost gothic “Your Chosen Misery” or the sort of bluesy feel of the opening of “This Old Man,” both of which showcase a lower, more subdued side of Dane than we’re used to hearing. Many of the slower songs here are a bit morose and there seems to be an obsession lyrically with the death of a family member that runs through several of the songs. Even the slower songs provide some moments of undeniable power, though, like the soaring chorus of “Brother.”

There’s also a conscious effort here to not alienate fans of Nevermore, as evidenced by opening tracks “When We Pray” and “Messenger” (featuring Jeff Loomis on guitar), neither of which would cause fans to bat an eye if they appeared on his regular band’s next record. Perhaps the most surprising moment on the record is an unexpectedly heavy, very Nevermore-ish cover of Paul Simon’s “Patterns,” which is another highlight of the record. He closes with a bang, delivering the pounding, crunching sound of his main band on “Equilibrium.”

Praises to the War Machine is not a huge departure from what we’ve heard Dane do before. While it gives him a chance to show some things we don’t normally hear in his regular gig, the music here is more like Nevermore than unlike. The big difference is that it’s arranged to showcase the vocals and, yes, deliver up perhaps a few more accessible moments to those who aren’t obsessed with virtuosic performances. It’s hard to get choruses like the one from “The Day the Rats Went to War” (which brings in the title of the record) out of your head, and maybe the songs here are, at times, a bit catchier than the average Nevermore fare. But fans of the band won’t be disappointed, nor will fans of great melodic metal in general. This one’s easily a top 10 release for the year.

Get "Praises to the War Machine."

Review: Kiuas, "The New Dark Age"

Kiuas' 2005 release, "The Spirit of Ukko," was one of those records that I dream of finding in a stack of CDs by bands that I’ve never heard of before. A mix of power, death, thrash and folk metal, it was one of those rare albums that I can honestly say sounded like nothing else out there. The follow-up, "Reformation," toned down the death influences playing up the thrash and folk. It was a great record, but didn’t quite match "The Spirit of Ukko." Their newest release "The New Dark Age" works to find a balance between the two, and may well be their best.Thrash and power are still at the forefront here, but the death metal elements make a bigger return than on "Reformation." The riffs are great, the melodies memorable and the huge anthemic choruses make great sing-along fodder for the wannabe chest-beating metal warrior in us all. It’s a definite top 10 selection at the end of the year.

The heart and soul of this album is a trio of songs, appropriately, in the middle of the record. It starts with the title track, opening with an old school death metal stomp riff opens the track followed by a soaring series of sweeps by guitarist Mikko Salovaara. It settles firmly into thrash territory after that with one of those big chorus melodies that gets the blood pumping. Throw in a couple of brief blasts of the original deathish riff and a growl or two scattered throughout the song, and it may be the strongest effort here, but it’s got competition. Next up is “To Excel and Ascend,” opening with a slightly exotic classical guitar lick and some folky, almost tribal drums. A thrash-power hybrid riff follows with the first real deathly vocal growls on the record that lead into certainly the most memorable chorus melody on the record. It brings a little groove to the record. The third song in this triumvirate, also starts with a surprising classical piano run. “Black Rose Withered” is a straight-up galloping thrasher that, lyrically, revisits The "Spirit of Ukko" tune “Thorns of a Black Rose.”

While those three songs are definitely the strong points of the record, "The New Dark Age" doesn’t really have a weak point. All of the songs are incredibly solid. They deliver up some folky leanings with the acoustic track “After the Storm,” which features a female vocalist (unidentified in any information on the record that I could find.) It has a heavy Fleetwood Mac feel with the harmonized male and female vocals, but that’s not a bad thing at all. “The Wanderer’s Lamentation” follows that same track with some nice acoustic guitar work under the verse before a big power metal crescendo kicks in. “Conqueror” has a soaring chorus that the power metal fans will appreciate. “Of Sacrifice, Loss and Reward” should appeal to melodic death fans. You get the picture. There really is something that most metal fans can appreciate here.

The band features a group of versatile musicians and everything is solidly played here. Salovaara provides great riffs and leads, Markku Naraneva pounds the skins with a vengeance and Atte Tanskanen provides some tasteful atmospheric keyboards that are never overbearing. Without a doubt, though, one of the biggest strengths, if not the biggest, of Kiuas is vocalist Ilja Jalkanen. He’s got a powerful, versatile voice with force and balls. No wimpy power metal vocals here. Of course, if their Web site is to be believed he’s got a powerful ego to go with it, but the dude can sing.

I’ve only got one question about this record. Why am I still having to order these guys as an import? Someone please get them a U.S. release.

Get "The New Dark Age."

Review: In Flames, "A Sense of Purpose"

I was one of those people that thought "Clayman," "Reroute to Remain" and "Come Clarity" were all pretty good records. (I am, however, in agreement with the majority on "Soundtrack to Your Escape"), but it still took me a while to connect with In Flames’ latest "A Sense of Purpose."

My initial reaction to opener and lead single “The Mirror’s Truth” was really negative. I hated it. My first response is still there for the world to see on the Teeth of the Divine forums. But, I can also admit when I’ve been a little too quick to judge and I’m wrong … sort of. After a few listens, the song began to grow on me, and the same can be said of much of the rest of the record. It’s definitely not among the band’s best work and it definitely won’t end up on my year-end top 10 list, but I can easily see it becoming a guilty pleasure kind of record.

"A Sense of Purpose" is certainly the band’s least “heavy” release to date. That will immediately alienate the legions of fans that are looking for them to return to the sound of "The Jester Race" or "Whoracle." This record makes it clear that it’s time to give up on that hope. The sharp-edged, in your face guitar sound that I still love from "Whoracle" is again missing, even on the heaviest tracks, and the guitars seem to be pushed back a little more into the mix. The songs structures are simplistic for the most part. There are only a handful of songs on the record that could be remotely called melodic death, and most of them sound like tunes that you’ve heard before.

Still, fans longing for the old days might get some satisfaction from a few tracks on the record. “Disconnected” opens with the familiar mechanical riff and smacking snare, but also has some interesting melodic elements on the chorus. “March to the Shore” probably comes the closest to matching their older efforts, and is one of my favorite tracks on the record. “Condemned” and “Drenched in Fear” both open with a nice, heavy riff, with the latter being another favorite. It strikes a nice balance between the heavier sound of their past and the more current sound.

As surprised as I am to be typing these words, one of the most interesting parts of "A Sense of Purpose" is in the songs that are perhaps a little more mainstream. There’s an originality in a few of them that’s often been sorely lacking in In Flames’ work. “Sleepless Again” has a little more groove on the opening than the usual In Flames fare, and I particularly like the wailing guitars on the chorus section. Perhaps the most accessible moment on the record for mainstreamers will be “Alias,” but to be honest, I really like this song. That bouncing riff backed by the synth that opens the song is catchy as hell, as is the chorus. It’s not as catchy as the riff from ”Cloud Connected,” but it’s perhaps the most unique and memorable song here. Another nice groove comes in on the beginning of “Delight and Angers,” and I like the little exotic sounding guitar bits before the chorus.

The lighter approach isn’t always a positive thing, though. The opening of “I Am the Highway” reminds me of one of those “hip” commercial rock bands that think they’re doing something cool and unique, but all really sound the same, and there’s just no power in the song at all. Likewise, the ballad “The Chosen Pessimist” is absolutely awful. It’s supposed to sound tortured and gloomy, but really just comes off sounding whiny.

Anders Friden’s has taken a more melodic direction with his vocals here. On "Reroute to Remain" and "Come Clarity," he often tried to force more aggressive, screamy vocals over songs where they just didn’t fit. He doesn’t do that here. Instead, he takes a cue from Soilwork’s “Speed” Strid and allows his vocals to flow more naturally with the melody. Don’t get me wrong, Friden’s not even close to mastering it the way that Strid has and probably never will. He just doesn’t have the chops that Speed does, but if they intend to continue to follow this musical path, it’s a step in the right direction.

No, it’s not a great record. There are quite a few forgettable songs that suffer from the sameness that’s plagued the band for a while now. That said, I’ll admit that, yeah, I kind of like "A Sense of Purpose." Let the laughing and finger-pointing begin.

Get "A Sense of Purpose."

Still spinning: Kiuas, "Spirit of Ukko"

In preparing to review Kiuas' latest record, "The New Dark Age," I revisited the album that first got me hooked on the band. Listening to it again and re-reading my review, I still stand by every word. If you haven't heard Kiuas, you owe it to yourself to check them out. Look for my review of their latest coming soon, but for now, enjoy a blast from the past:

It’s rare for an album to catch my ear on first listen. Usually I have to hear it three or four times before I can really form an opinion on it. But sometimes an album hits me like the bolt of lightning crackling from the sky on this album cover. If you’re a power metal fan, go get this album now. It’s that good.

Though Kiuas has been around since 2000 and recorded a number of EPs, this is their first full-length album – well, at eight songs and 42 minutes, it’s more like an extended EP by today’s standards. That’s a problem, since I wanted this album to keep going. At first listen, I thought this was a power metal outfit with a death metal fetish, as the title track breaks out in blast beats and some melodic death riffing. That in itself was interesting to me. Singer Ilja Jalkanen sounded a bit like Zachary Stevens with a heavy accent on the track – another point in the album’s favor in this Savatage fan’s estimation.

But that was just the beginning. Through the course of the album, the music takes sidetrips into medieval sounds, Viking metal, neoclassical and a few other styles. It’s all tied together with an old-fashioned hard rock sensibility, due in large part to Jalkanen’s delivery. That old school feel is particularly evident on “No More Sleep for Me” and “Warrior Soul.” Whereas most power metal bands feel the need to have a singer with a “pretty” voice, Jalkanen puts a little more grit and power into his vocals. He can pull off the traditional high-pitched harmonies, but he can also snarl and scream when the music calls for it. He claims bluesmen Buddy Guy and Howlin’ Wolf among his influences, which seems a bit odd for a guy from Finland, but you can hear a bit of that blues tone in his voice and it puts him miles beyond the same-sounding vocalists that dominate the genre. It proves that you can sound like a man and still be a great power metal vocalist.

There’s a great deal of Manowar influence on the album, particularly on songs like “On Winds of Death We Ride” and “Warrior Soul.” If you’re not into the warrior metal schtick, don’t worry, it’s not quite as over-the-top as some of the acts out there. Besides this album is so musically solid, they could be singing “Jesus Loves Me,” and it would sound cool. In fact, the only weak song on the album is the semi-ballad, “Thorns of a Black Rose,” and even it’s not a bad song. Mikko Salovaara lays down some gorgeous acoustic guitar work on the soft parts that raises it above the melodrama of the rest. I was also impressed with Atte Tanskanen’s key work. It adds a great deal of atmosphere to the songs, but it doesn’t stick out, even when it plays a primary role in the song. That seems obvious, but if you’ve listened to a lot of power metal, you’ll know that not every keyboard player gets it.

Kiuas pulls out a new surprise on almost every track, adding a variety of elements to their music without ever sacrificing their identity. Whether it’s the Malmsteen-like sweep arpeggios of “Warrior Soul” or the chugging Meshuggah-style riffs on “And the North Star Cried,” it’s obvious that Kiuas knows what their strengths are as a band and they use their influences well to accentuate those.

This is how power metal should be done, and if Kiuas doesn’t quickly rise to the top ranks of the genre, something is seriously out of whack.

Get "The Spirit of Ukko."



Still Spinning is an occasional feature about an older record that still gets regular time in my CD player.

Review: Firewind, "The Premonition"

Despite a rotating cast of musicians, no one in the melodic/power metal realms has produced more consistent records over the past several years than Firewind. Their latest record, The Premonition, is the second record for Century Media and the second with the same lineup, a first in the band’s history. While it doesn’t bring any major shifts in direction, it does find the band beginning to mesh better.

The record opens with a bang on the thrasher “Into the Fire.” This track features an obvious homage to classic Metallica. In its opening, you’ll hear elements of “Battery,” “Sanitarium,” “Blackened” and a few others leading into some fast-paced riffing that finally settles more into power metal territory when Apollo Papathanasio begins singing. It’s not the rip-off of Metallica that a few other bands are pushing these days, and perhaps it’s not exactly a straightforward tribute, but it’s certainly a tip of the hat to the influence, and it’s a welcome beginning to a welcome CD.

The Premonition has a nice variety about it. The songs range from pounding power metal numbers to more commercial pieces, like the first single “Mercenary Man,” where the band brings some 1980s arena rock influence. That track also features one of the most memorable hooks to be found here. It’s really a tune to get out on the highway and crank as loud as it will go with that soaring opening and chorus, just set the cruise control if you don’t want it to be an expensive trip. The record keeps going strong with the slashing riffs of “Angels Forgive Me” and a return to the thrash touches that opened the record on “Remembered.” The Police-inspired clean opening of “My Loneliness,” which finds Papathanasio doing his best early Sting, is cool. I was impressed by the choice not to include a ballad on their last record Allegiance, but for the most part I like this one. The verses are cool, but the chorus is not quite as catchy, sounding a bit like a Scorpions throw-away.

There are some rough moments later in the record that make it not quite as enjoyable as Allegiance. After a nice traditional metal opening riff, “Circle of Life” loses its steam and becomes perhaps the most lifeless offering of the 10 tracks here. And I’m not sure what they were thinking when they decided to cover Michael Sembello’s “Maniac.” Yeah, the song from “Flashdance.” They crunch it up enough to make it listenable, but it’s still a real head-scratcher for me. The only thing I can figure is that keyboard player Bob Katsionis really wanted to do the synth line that opens the song and somehow convinced the rest of the band to do it.

Fortunately, they make a comeback after that to close the album strong with “Life Foreclosed.” The song is perhaps the darkest moment on the record, and despite some small lyrical challenges in the chorus, it’s still one of the best numbers here.

With The Premonition, Firewind delivers exactly what I’ve come to expect from them, a set of tasteful, melodic and catchy songs that are well-played and well-produced. Founder and guitarist Gus G. has quickly become one of my favorite players in the current crop, and his chops continue to impress here. While I occasionally think Papathanasio needs a little more grit in his voice, it’s hard to argue with the power he puts into moments like the chorus of “Mercenary Man.” You’d be hard-pressed to find a better band in the current crop of power/melodic metallers than Firewind. While The Premonition doesn’t top 2006’s Allegiance, which stands as Firewind’s best work to date, it’s still a very solid, consistent album and one worth your consideration.

Get "The Premonition."

Review: Judas Priest, "Nostradamus" single

When metal bands do concept records based on historical figures or writings, it's an iffy proposition. For every superb album like Bruce Dickinson's "The Chemical Wedding," you get a whole bunch of losers. Having listened to the first single off Judas Priest's upcoming concept record "Nostradamus," which seems like a bit of a hokey concept to begin with, I'm not sure what we're going to get when it hits shelves in June.

The operatic opening, I felt, was a little weird. The keyboards were kind of cheesy, and the vocals don't really play to Rob Halford's strengths. After that, we get a pretty standard Priest number that sounds a bit like a mash-up of a couple of "Painkiller" tunes. The song has its up and downs. "Painkiller" is one of my favorite Priest records, so I don't have any problems with that sound, but at the same time, much of the song feels like I've heard it before. The chorus is one of the weakest points (aside from the repetitive chant of "Nostradamus"), and a little goofy-sounding. There's a line that I believe is "Nostradamus ... he's our mage." On casual listen, it comes off sounding like "Nostradamus ... he's our man," which would be worse than some of the lyrics they forced "Ripper" Owens to sing on "Demolition." They pick it back up with a nice ripping bit going into the solo with Rob screaming over it, that I really like. (Editor's note: It has been pointed out to me by a reader that these ears that have been abused at metal concerts for a quarter of a century have completely misheard this lyric. The poster points out the actual lyric is "Nostradamus is avenged." I don't think the lyric is quite as clear as he seems to think, but I concede that it is probably correct and it is a much better lyric.)

Ultimately, it sounds like a pretty average Judas Priest song. Nothing truly disappointing, but nothing really inspired either. Naturally, I'll reserve judgment until I hear the whole record, but I hope that this isn't the best song it has to offer. Nice cover, though.

You can make your own conclusions about the song since Epic Records is offering it as a free download here. Give it a listen.

Review: Jon Oliva's Pain, "Global Warning"

With Savatage seemingly on indefinite hiatus between the monster that Trans-Siberian Orchestra has become and the various solo projects of its members, fans are getting a lot of music in a similar style, but not what they really want. Until now.

The first two efforts of Jon Oliva’s Pain have been quite enjoyable, if a bit uneven. "'Tage Mahal" (2005) represented a welcome return to the older, more aggressive style of Savatage, but at the same time, the songs on the record sounded an awful lot like Savatage throw-aways. The follow-up, "Maniacal Renderings" (2006), had one of the best songs Oliva has recorded in years, “Through the Eyes of the King,” but much of the record was very personal and self-indulgent. The same could be said of Oliva’s latest, "Global Warning," with one big caveat. Indeed, this record is very indulgent. Unlike "Maniacal Renderings," however, "Global Warning" is pure fucking genius.

You know you’re in for a wild ride from the title track, which opens the record. Oliva has, for a while now, been writing a musical based on the Romanovs, and some of that comes through on the Russian-flavored classical opening of the track. From there, it morphs into a 1970s hard rock jam, complete with big Hammond organ riffing, and finally into a Gutter Ballet-era Savatage song. That’s a lot of musical ground covered in four and a half minutes. It’s also a microcosm of the record, which features everything from blazing metal tracks to big, theatric numbers to soft, poignant vocal and piano pieces.

The record really captures the mood and feel of Savatage’s now classic rock opera Streets in its variety and power. Also like that record, some of the strongest songs here are the slower numbers. “Firefly” is a shining moment on the record, fueled by guitarist Matt LaPorte’s soulful, melancholy leads. LaPorte’s power is once again felt on “Open Your Eyes,” a Beatles-influenced number that finds Oliva sprinkling falsetto notes over his piano with a big bombastic bridge and chorus and LaPorte delivering a dramatic solo straight out of the Brian May playbook. (Queen is also a huge influence throughout the record.) “The Ride” may be the strongest track on the record, opening with a happy, jangly acoustic melody and then taking a turn into a more sinister chorus as the subject of the song is subjected to temptation. “Someone/Souls” closes the record with an emotionally-charged crescendo, just as “Somewhere in Time/Believe” did on Streets.

Not to worry, though, if you’re a metal fan. While Oliva has always been able to deliver top notch ballads, he also brings the rock here, too. “Before I Hang” will have a very familiar sound to longtime fans. A combination of the 1980s demo track ”Before I Hang” and the Streets demo “Larry Elbows,” the song, rightfully, sounds like a song taken from the Streets record and backs up the overall feel of "Global Warning." The digital feel and manic circus-style lead riff of “Master” should please, and “Stories” finds Oliva plying his theatric skills with the showtune-like gang vocals delivered over a pure metal track. “You Never Know” will probably have more old school fans banging their heads than any other track, as it sounds like it was taken straight from Hall of the Mountain King, a screaming, welcome, blast from the past.

Oliva’s voice, which has at times been a bit ragged over the past decade or so, sounds better here than it has in years. From his trademark Savatage shrieks to a gritty blues tone to crystal clear clean vocals on the ballads, he covers all the bases sounding like the late 1980s version of himself. There’s more passion packed into Oliva’s performance here than the last two JOP records and Savatage’s last record "Poets & Madmen" combined.

When I interviewed Savatage producer Paul O’Neill prior to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra tour last fall, he assured me that a new Savatage record will happen one day. But he also made it clear that it wasn’t a priority with several other TSO projects in the works. The good news for fans is that "Global Warning" will serve well as your new Savatage record. Most everyone will agree that bands can’t relive their best works, but Jon Oliva has done just that, reproducing the quality, vibe and feel of Streets here. It may not have the Savatage logo stamped on the cover, but this is a record that Savatage fans have been waiting on for a long time.

Get "Global Warning."

Read my review of "'Tage Mahal" from 2005.

Stuck in My Head: "Over My Head," King's X

These days it's a rare thing to find a record that really blows you away, that makes you go "wow, I've never heard anything quite like that before." I've experienced a lot of music in my life, and I guess, to an extent, I've grown into the jaded old cynic that always feels like most new stuff is just a rehash of something older with a few new touches. So it's nice to revisit a time when I had a little fresher view of music, and I could be surprised. When the promo for the latest from King's X, "XV," arrived in my mailbox earlier this week, it made me think about how I discovered the band that was one of my favorites through the late 1980s and early 1990s.

I was in high school when I first heard King's X. I was sitting in front of the TV one Saturday night watching "Headbanger's Ball," a weekly ritual for me in those days. The first thing that stuck out to me was the striking appearance of singer/bassist Doug Pinnick. Here was this tall, lanky, mohawked black guy (which was a rarity in itself in hard rock and metal in those days) that served a sharp contrast to the makeup-coated, big-haired (although his certainly wasn't small), preening singers of the time. The physical differences, though, melted away when he opened his mouth and that soulful, monster of a voice came out. I wondered how something that big and resonant could come out of this skinny guy that looked like he weighed 120 pounds soaking wet. What he sang, I believed. The voice had that kind of power.

But it wasn't just Pinnick and his voice that drew me to the song. It was the whole mish-mash of musical vibes that were going on. It started with that big power chord riff. It was a simple three-chord riff, as many of the best are. The riff is a play straight out of the Black Sabbath playbook, but with a twist. Instead of doomy and gloomy as Tony Iommi would have delivered it, it was faster, joyful and uplifting. Built around that metallic riff was a range of influence from funk, soul and even gospel. And then there was Pinnick's manic, yet powerful vocals, that brought it all home, brothers and sisters. I was instantly hooked.

I picked up my copy of "Gretchen Goes to Nebraska" on my next trip to the record store, and found even more to like about the King's X sound. It truly was like nothing I'd ever heard -- tight Beatles-style harmonies and song structures that ran head-on into Sabbath-influenced riffs, thumping and funky bass lines scattered throughout, old school soul flourishes here and there, all delivered with the power and passion of a gospel choir. For all that, they still managed to keep a sardonic sense of humor in the music, too.

The band rapidly became a favorite of mine. I quickly picked up their previous record, "Out of the Silent Planet," and snapped up each following record through 1994's "Dogman." Admittedly, King's X's late 1990s records and those earlier this decade were spotty as they began to experiment and move away from that powerhouse sound that first made me a fan. The good news is they've come full-circle back to that sound on their new one. Look for my review of it in the coming weeks.

Hear a clip of "Over My Head."

Get "Gretchen Goes to Nebraska."

Review: Cavalera Conspiracy, "Inflikted"

I can't deny that I've been waiting on this record for a long time. I was lucky enough to have a chance to see Sepultura live before they split with singer/guitarist Max Cavalera, and they destroyed the stage. Shortly thereafter, Max left amid some ugliness, and the band released a series of mediocre records that never really held my interest (even those that I initially liked, like 2006's "Dante XXI"). Meanwhile, Max took the sound of the band's more commercial "Roots" and made it even more accessible in Soulfly. While I admit I liked a lot of the Soulfly offerings, and they had a great live show, they don't stand up to the best Sepultura work at all.

Finally, though, Max Cavalera and his brother Igor have buried the hatchet and teamed up for this debut release from Cavalera Conspiracy. And finally, I've got the Sepultura record (pay no attention to the name on the cover, this is a Sepultura record) that we should have gotten after "Chaos A.D."

My favorite version of Sepultura was the middle version. While the early, more death-influenced stuff isn't bad, and the tribal sounds of "Roots" are OK, it's the groove-based thrash of "Arise" and "Chaos A.D." that made me a fan. On "Inflikted," the brothers Cavalera deliver a sound that's somewhere between that head-on thrash of "Chaos A.D." and the tribal grooves of "Roots" or Soulfly. It's a potent mixture. It opens with the title track, which might make you believe this will be a Soulfly record with Igor Cavalera on drums, but that changes with the pounding "Sanctuary," which introduces a return to the more aggressive Sepultura style, but also features a nice breakdown for Soulfly fans.

Certainly there are moments here that won't appeal to the unbending fans that hated "Roots" and Soulfly -- you know, the crowd that likes to throw the term sell-out around. There are undeniably some more commercial moments here than you would have ever found on one of those early Sepultura records, but then there are songs like "Hex" which digs even farther back for an "Arise," maybe even getting into "Beneath the Remains" territory a little, or the punk-influenced burner "Nevertrust." I happen to like a good groove, though, and this record has some great ones. The *gasp* hooks of songs like "Ultra-Violent" and "Bloodbrawl" and the screaming, bouncing riff of "Must Kill" will be with you long after you've finished listening.

"Inflikted" offers a perfect balance between heaviness and grooving melodies. It features songs that are hummable in one moment and bash your skull in the next. The tribal elements that colored "Roots" and Soulfly's sound are still there in places, but they're played down, putting the focus on a straight ahead metallic sound. It's a welcome return of a band that I've been missing for a good long while.

Hear a sample of "Sanctuary."

Get "Inflikted."