I grew up supporting Oldham Athletic. The greatest day in our history was when we won the 2nd Division Championship in 1991. We had already won promotion, but to win the title we had to beat Sheffield Wednesday (who had also been promoted and were third in the table) and hope that the leaders West Ham lost to Notts County (who were fourth and also got promoted through the play offs). We were 2 - 0 down, before coming back to level the game and then Neil Redfearn scored a last minute penalty to seal the title. Glorious. Unfortunately I wasn't there to see it. I had given my season ticket up for that game so that I could go on a date with a girl I met at a party. She didn't show up. I found myself in the nearby town of Stockport (where we had arranged to meet), miserable because I had been stood up, with nothing to do. I decided to have a walk around the shops to kill time. I found a really cool record shop with a really good metal section so I started browsing the vinyl section to see if I could find something cool to make the journey worthwhile. I found the recently released Sepultura album 'Arise' which had been getting great reviews from the metal magazines. I pored over the monstrous Michael Whelan cover art of a hideous mutated beast with crab-like limbs and a prominent eyeball staring out beyond the record. I looked at it a number of times (that cover is hypnotic), debating whether I should take a chance on the record or not (I had seen the video for 'Inner Self' from the previous album but it hadn't really grabbed me). In the end I opted for something more tried and trusted and bought an Overkill album that I didn't have instead ('Taking Over', which is also a great album). It was a year or two later that I finally discovered the majesty of 'Arise' but I always associate this ritual humiliation with that album, mainly because of that striking album cover.
Tonight sees Max and Igor Cavalera bring their celebration of Sepultura's early days into town, playing 'Bestial Devastation' and 'Morbid Visions' in full.
Incite (who feature Max Cavalera's stepson Richie on vocals) open the show. They play heavy metal with a certain amount of groove, not dissimilar to latter day Machine Head. The guitar solos have a big Dimebag Darrell influence. They aren't as impactful when they play faster, which seems much more generic. Richie works hard to try and elicit a reaction from the crowd but it comes across as a little too tryhard. Hearing him roar 'fucking moooooove' gets rather tiresome after the tenth time. They do veer a little too close to Pantera on occasions for my liking too. Serviceable.
Cavalera's sound is a bit thin when they are blasting through the fast parts. This is a bit of a problem for opener ' Bestial Devastation' and the whole of that first Sepultura EP, although the chunky mid section of 'Antichrist' sounds great. 'Warriors Of Death' is where it finally starts to click. The thrash seems much more focused and powerful. 'Sexta Feira 13' follows and this highlights what an absolute powerhouse Igor still is behind the drumkit. Orff's 'O Fortuna' then plays to precede 'Morbid Visions' and this is great music to build tension. The less primal 'Morbid Visions' material sounds better, and both the title track and 'Crucified' are good. The second half of 'Crucified', after a slow creepy interlude, is particularly savage. 'Empire Of The Damned' is pretty insistent, whilst 'Escape To The Void' is thunderous. A 'Chaos A.D.' medley is hit and miss, as 'Refuse/Resist' lacks its usual bite but the slower groove of 'Territory' hits hard. The band rip through a metallic cover of 'Protest And Survive' with Shane Embury on guitar and JJ from Discharge on vocals. They also fit in a cheeky cover of 'You Suffer' too. There are a number of good moments but, sadly, tonight never really catches fire.
Cavalera ***
Incite ***
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