Schizophrenia

When I first heard that the Cavalera brothers were planning to re-record their classic Sepultura material, starting with Morbid Visions and Bestial Devastation, I was skeptical. Re-recordings don't always hit the mark (see: No Place For Disgrace 2014 by Flotsam And Jetsam) and fail more often than not. That was not the case with the Morbid Visions and Bestial Devastation re-recordings released last year, which were amazing tributes to the original releases. So I had high hopes for the Schizophrenia re-recording, considering it is my favorite Sepultura album, and it did not disappoint.

First thing to note, similar to the Morbid Visions and Bestial Devastation re-recordings, there is a good level of reverb, adding the same atmosphere to the room that was present in the original recordings. I actually prefer Max's vocals in this to the original Schizophrenia release, strangely enough. He was 18 when Schizophrenia was originally recorded, and the fact that he was 54-55 when the album was re-recorded certainly made his vocals more powerful. This is probably the only reason I would take the re-recording over the original, but it isn't necessarily a massive downgrade from said original. This version also features a different intro, utilizing an ambient synth before "From The Past Comes The Storms" blows you away instead of the screeching strings Psycho-esque intro from the original 1987 recording. The album also features a new track, with lyrics by Max's son Igor Amadeus, "Nightmares Of Delirium." Personally, I think this track fits on the album pretty well, and has the same vibe as Schizophrenia-era Sepultura, hence why it is on the re-recording. Hopefully this will mean Soulfully might go in more of a thrash direction on the next album, but hey, a man can dream!

While not the album I would go to versus the original, Cavalera's Schizophrenia re-recording is still excellent in its own right, and I strongly recommend getting it on vinyl since the original is long out of print (on vinyl, there's still affordable CD copies being made) and goes for exorbitant prices. Hats off to Max, Igor, and Igor Amadeus Cavalera, and Travis Stone for this great re-recording. I can't wait to see where Cavalera goes from here!