Cavalera Conspiracy
Inflikted
Roadrunner
You can sorta go home again
The reunion of Max and Igor Cavalera, former brothers-in-arms in Sepultura, is certainly a cause for celebration. Cynically, it means even less attention will be paid to the irrelevant nü-metal rants of Soulfly or the “let’s do concept albums about classic literature” lineup of the Derrick Green-led Sep. But, on a positive note, it potentially marks a return to the revolutionary thrash assault that the Cavaleras brought to the metal scene in the early ’90s, most notably on the genre-defying assaults of Chaos A.D. and the even more experimental Roots. Hey, these guys pushed boundaries in a genre that often closes its doors to new ideas (yes, that means you, Slayer).
Of course, recent comments attributed to the brothers that slammed Killswitch Engage as “the gayest” and praised French dance duo Justice could serve as a warning... not exactly for what, but as a caution that all was not well. Thankfully, Inflikted is pretty much what you’d expect: tribal, speed-defying drum work by Igor, Max’s broken English chants of rage (“never trust the assholes!”) and a whole speed/thrash assault circa ’92. In the old days, we wanted these guys to experiment; now, when the band tries out a Cradle of Filth style goth epic like “Dark Ark,” we cringe. Instead, it’s nice to hear the one-word choruses (“Hex!,” “Inflikted!,” the second half of “Terrorizer”) and the focused energy of a band that may not break any new barriers, but still offers up a comfortingly brutal, non-gayest assault. —Kirk Miller
