Band:	Sepultura
Album:	Roots
Style:	Alternative metal, Groove thrash metal
Release date:	February 20, 1996
Guest review by:	Angel

Disc I
01. Roots Bloody Roots
02. Attitude
03. Cut-Throat
04. Ratamahatta [feat. Carlinhos Brown, David Silveria & Ross Robinson]
05. Breed Apart
06. Straighthate
07. Spit
08. Lookaway [feat. Jonathan Davis, Mike Patton & DJ Lethal]
09. Dusted
10. Born Stubborn
11. Jasco
12. Itsári [feat. Xavante tribe]
13. Ambush
14. Endangered Species
15. Dictatorshit
16. Canyon Jam [Hidden Track]
17. Procreation (Of The Wicked) [Celtic Frost cover] [Brazilian edition bonus]
18. Symptom Of The Universe [Black Sabbath cover] [Brazilian edition bonus]

Disc II [Roadrunner Records: The 25th Anniversary Series bonus disc]
01. Procreation (Of The Wicked) [Celtic Frost cover]
02. Mine [Feat. Mike Patton]
03. War [Bob Marley cover]
04. Lookaway [Master Vibe mix]
05. Mine [Andy Wallace mix]
06. Dusted [demo]
07. Roots Bloody Roots [demo]
08. R.D.P. [demo]
09. Untitled [demo]
10. Attitude [live at Ozzfest]
11. Roots Bloody Roots [Megawatt mix 1]
12. Roots Bloody Roots [Megawatt mix 2]

What's left to say about Sepultura? That it's probably the best selling third world band ever? That they're going facedown to the ground since the leaving of Max "I am the Soulfly-Ego" Cavalera? "Chaos A.D." went golden and "Roots" went double gold in Holland (trust me, that's a good thing). That the difference between their first and last records is so huge that even the development of a butterfly contains more radical changes? That "Roots" was the first piece of metal I bought? Nah, I think the band-name speaks for itself. The style on this first piece of Sepultura is totally different from "Roots". They started as a full-on death metal band, finding their roots on "Beneath The Remains' (1989) and re-discovered 'em in 1991, with the release of "Arise". And then, five years later, one of the finest works of the 90's is released.

Simply called "Roots", the album shows more tribal influences than a reggae-bar. Songs like "Jasco" and "Itsari" are nothing more than the drumming on a Brazilian bongo, the total opposition of the album opener, "Roots Bloody Roots" (who's the sinner that doesn't know this song?). "Roots" is a turning point in history, and possiblly the reason why other Brazilian bands (like Agresion and Retturn) decide to put a coin in the thrash-metal bag. And they can't be blamed. There is not a band which can equal the quality of a Sepultura record. Just because of the simple fact that songs like "Attitude", "Spit" and "Breed Apart" are so good, they'd ought tp give Max a medal!! His 'straight-in-your-face'-voice sets the tone on "Roots Bloody Roots" (ROOOOTS BLOODY ROOOOTS!!!!!!!) and "Attitude" ('Can you take it? / I won't take it!'). Then, after bursting through "Cut-Throat", there's a 20-second warm-up for "Ratamahatta". Enough time to take a glass of water and then roar along with Max and Carlinhos Brown. Following songs, "Breed Apart" and "Straigthate" are pressure-building songs, as I'd like to call them. Long songs, starting off slowly and eventually turn into a metal assault, with which you'd get your grandma deaf (that is, if she has survived the first 3 tracks). The production of "Spit" and "Dusted" could have been better. Not really surprising, not with the likes of Ross Robinson (Slipknot, Korn) working with Sepultura.

The following 2 tracks, "Jasco" and "Itsari" could have been produced by either me, you or Ross, since they're nothing more then some drumming on tribal drums, allowing you some time to get back to breath. And you'll need it, since "Dictatorshit" and "Endangered Species" are Sepultura as we known them: furious, fast metal with even more furious vocals (or should I say; screams?). Album closer, and hidden track "Canyon Jam" is based on the intro, but develops into some drumming that could have been recorded in some canyon, bouncing nicely away through your walls, they'll have your neighbours screaming to stop. Like with every good record.

If I wrote this review in '96, when it was released, I'd predict something like world domination, but with the loss of a mighty fine frontman in the shape of Max Cavalera, I'm sorry to say that "Roots" was the last Sepultura album that still proves some of the hidden quality that Sepultura had to show, since 12 years weren't enough. The world is falling apart, just several months after it's found his roots. I'm sorry.