When the pandemic hit Sepultura, like many other bands, found they had an album out and were unable to tour. To prevent themselves from going stir crazy they set up a weekly event where they could play music and talk to people from throughout the world, and this in turn led to them asking some friends to become involved and work with them on recording some old Sepultura tracks. So, David Ellefson, Scott Ian, Danko Jones, Devin Townsend, Matt Heafy and others recorded tracks from their own homes, and these were then mixed and mastered by Conrado Ruther. We don’t go back all the way to the beginning, which is somewhat of a shame, but even today singer Derrick Green is viewed by some as not being valid, even though he took on the role well over 20 years ago, so perhaps not too surprising. Therefore, we smartly side-step the first four albums, but we do get material from ‘Chaos A.D’ (strange to think that album is now nearly 30 years old) onwards.

While the band are blasting out older numbers, and obviously having fun alongside their guests, there is no doubt that the biggest issue here is the sound quality which is somewhat surprising given the way this was recorded. There is just too much space around the drums, and the bass often seems to go missing altogether, while the vocals also suffer from levels issues. This does make it feel incredibly raw, but also somewhat dated as it is just not what one expects from what is ostensibly a studio recording, and while the energy is great for the most part this feels very much like an opportunity missed. Interestingly, they do not include “Roots, Bloody Roots” which is noticeable by its absence, but they do bring in Phil Campbell for a romp through “Orgasmatron” which has made me appreciate the original that much more. Interesting in many ways, this is very much for fans only.

Rating: 6/10

Links:
https://www.sepultura.com.br/
https://www.nuclearblast.com/