Simple, punishing, and brutally effective,
Max Cavalera returns with a fresh new rhythm section for
Soulfly's eighth album,
Enslaved. With
Prong bassist
Tony Campos and
Borknagar drummer David Kinkade added to the lineup, the band shows no signs of ever letting up, and if this album is any indicator, it's a good sign for fans of the band. Using the sound of their last album as a starting point,
Enslaved finds
Cavalera and company merging groove, thrash, and death metal to create a violent symphony of sonic devastation. What really works about this approach is how perfectly uncomplicated it is. Instead of getting caught up in crazy concepts or prog-leaning esoterica, the band just opens their seemingly unending torrent of aggression and trusts that everything will fall into place. This kind of intuitive songwriting is something that comes with experience, and when you have a figure as enduring as
Cavalera surrounding himself with such an experienced lineup, you really can expect nothing but good things to happen. ~ Gregory Heaney