Prophecy

Really good effort from Max Cavalera, especially comparing this to all of his earlier releases with Soulfly. This album kicks the shackles of 'nu-metal' off and instead goes for a more groove/thrash metal approach. This becomes apparent on the first song 'Prophecy' on the album as you hear a strong blast of metal come pouring out of your speakers.

The riffs are consistently strong throughout the album, the only song I would say is a little weak in the riff department is 'I Believe,' which unfortunately has a bit of a bad start to it. The other songs however, do not lack as they deliver similar riffs that you hear off of 'Prophecy.' One of the songs that stuck out above the others was 'Moses,' with its interesting combination of reggae and metal, two genres that most would think could never go together.

Production is solid. You can hear all of the instruments on pretty much every song in the album, even the bass. Not to mention, the implementation of the bass, which sounds stellar on the album. The guitar also fits with the heavy sound that they are going for. Max Cavalera sounds brutal as ever on this album with his growling throughout the chorus of the album.

The lyrical content of the album is much better than on their previous recordings. You can feel the anger that Max has on tracks like 'Defeat U,' rather than the senseless banter on previous works like 'Jumpdafuckup.'

Overall, Prophecy is a transition point for Soulfly away from the field of 'nu-metal' into the much more interesting field of groove and thrash metal. While this album may not be the next Max-era Sepultura, its probably the closest we are going to get.

After the abortion Om was, Soulfly changed their lineup with Max being the only original member. This lineup released the album Prophecy, which marked a change in direction- from the primitive (pun intended) nu metal that was present in their first releases, to a more stable groove metal sound. And it really worked.

As the first song begins, a very atmosphere- conducting intro hits you right in the face, which is then followed by some very strong tribal drumming by Joe Nunez (who auditioned for the drummer of Slayer in 2001, because of Dave Lombardo recommending him for his high skills) that instantly brings Chaos A.D in mind. This is one of the best songs of the album, and one of the best in the band's discography, because of its groove-laden nature that is accompanied by slaughtering, sluggish and down-tuned riffs along with the catchy vocal line. This follows the whole album in its entirety, with "regular" drums beats which appear every once in a while.

Except for the impressive instrumentation this album is characterized by, the song structured are impressive as well. From unrelenting Sepultura- like thrash sections, to groovy breaks, to calmer parts, and to goddamn REGGAE. You've read it right. Reggae. The band, along with the increased level of brutality in the music, has incorporated more untraditional elements into their music, and in this album, the reggae factor is the most powerful. They don't interrupt the angry atmosphere of the album, but accentuate the album's creative manner. The most notable reggae parts are in the songs Mars, I Believe, and last but not least, the whole reggae-driven track Moses that features the Serbian reggae punk band Eyesburn,which are pretty talented within their own genre.

Max has earned his place among the best modern metal vocalists. His trademark grunting fits the music perfectly, even on some calmer sections, and a clean voice which doesn't fall out of quality appears in a few songs (with I Believe being the best example for this). Even the lyrics match the music perfectly. The "JUMPDAFUKUPP! OI!" lyrics are long gone, and angry lyrics on the angrier parts are followed by more personal, spiritual based parts:

"Wings all over us, watching us from above.
Protecting us from this world, protecting us with your sword." (Wings)

"Fire spreads killing fear, motherfucker your end is near!
Can't bring me down, in a sea of shit you drown" (Defeat U)

The production here is powerful by itself. It makes the music darker, with the guitars and bass made more distorted and the drums and vocals are made loud and hitting in a good way. This is easily the best Soulfly album, and one of the most interesting groove metal releases of all time. Recommended.