The Cavalera brothers Max and Iggor, the most renowned musicians for shaping up the brand of thrash metal,  have united under the new moniker of Cavalera. With the intention to approach the game by re-recording Sepultura’s 1985 EP ‘Bestial Devastation’ and the 1986 full-length album ‘Morbid Visions’ , they  have revamped the sound of the classic material,  while gambling for high stakes and with a vision to enhance the old recordings in a bid on the modern production.

In the wake of these endeavors, the Cavalera brothers aimed for a powerful production, fortifying their arsenal with blistering riffs, bulldozing percussion and infuriating vocals, all of which designed to rejuvenate the old spirit of Sepultura. Even though the eight tracks plus one new song ‘Burn the Dead’ are coherently structured with enormous riffing, the composition remains spectacularly enhanced by the flawless drumming of Iggor. Given a proper and improved production over the whole record, the opening track ‘Morbid Visions’ is immediately recognizable in presenting the amalgam of death and thrash metal.

Sharp and metallic riffs dominate the song’s tempo and the aggressive drumming fluxes are fueled into an atomic blast furnace. The lead guitars are perfectly layered with some groove sections played in the classic old-school method. The songs open with frantic vocals and the guitar tone is quite immense and powerful, superbly contrasting to the rapid and highly sophisticated drumming in the track ‘Mayhem’.

While the Cavalera brothers push forward their aggressive swaggering with their classic trademark style, the ominous intro of the classic hit ‘Troops of Doom’ brings the best moments in this re-make album. The energetic pace of the drums suddenly becomes loud and provides a potent driving force for the dynamics before suddenly unleashing a rapid fury in ‘War’. Max’s deathly grunts add a more organic element to the menacing riffing. The production, in general, has a very death metal sound that reanimates the legacy of the old Sepultura.

In this sense we get bombarded with tons of combative tempos that explode in a breakneck intensity. We get another hit from the classic track ‘Crucifixion’ that kicks off in such disgust and fury. Cavalera does justice to their musical pathos as they ramp on fire with their old roots and this is why ‘Morbid Visions’ redeems the quality of these evil infuriating riffs and showcases the true essence of death thrash metal, offering an amalgam of hefty grooves and proper death metal riffing.

While ‘Show Me the Wrath’ which was one of the underrated songs on the original album, gets a fair amount of the cult-thrashing riffs. It still has the 80’s spirit, with a few nuances and refinements made to the riffing structure. Meanwhile, Iggor accelerates the dynamics and demonstrates his drumming skills in a skull-crushing performance.

The blistering pace of the drums provides tons of aggression and creates one of the highlight moments in the album. ‘Funeral Rites’ comes close to the cult sound of the 80s extreme metal. It immediately picks up a furious pace and brings all the anger to your face, painting apocalyptic images into your mind as the savage tone of the guitars reigns over the frantic grunts of Max. The slow tempo in the final minutes shows the creative songwriting, especially, when the lead guitars become laden with menacing melodies. ‘Morbid Visions’ bombards the listener with endless barrages. This is a very much riff-oriented remake of the classic Sepultura.

The shredding of the lead guitar and solos and the incessant pounding of the drums instantly grasp the attention, leaving you all hooked to the savage riffing,  After all these long decades the Cavalera brothers still have the old spirit in them. ‘Empire of the Damned’ incorporates plenty of grooves and crushing drums, inflicting subversive damage beyond repair. The maniacal drumming firing on all cylinders leads to fierce tempos and guitars striking out with untamed brutality. The rhythm guitar infuses hefty riffs, the pacing alternating between the fast and slower tempos, but it also shows how varied the songs were in the album.

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