Sepultura: Nation : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

Sepultura hasn't been the same since original frontman Max Cavalera's departure, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. With its second album since the split, Brazil's heaviest export continues developing its dynamic blend of the savage and the sophisticated. Nation runs a zesty gamut from hardcore outbursts that gnash and thrash with blunt intent ("Revolt," "Human Cause") to subtler numbers that temper the band's metalismo with exotic sounds. Middle Eastern scales tinge the guitar work throughout the album but give "The Ways of Faith" a calm, sitar-esque center; Jello Biafra makes a cameo in "Politricks," a slow, tortuous blend of rumbling bass and semi-spoken word; "Water" lives up to its title, flowing pensively with reverberant, percussive ripples. It all builds to an elegant, string-infused close with "Valtio," a collaboration with the Finnish hard rock cello quartet Apocalyptica. Not exactly a sweet ending, but certainly a smooth one. (SANDY MASUO)