Sepultura - Chaos A.D.

Reviews of Sepultura's Chaos A.D. (1993) highlight it as a groundbreaking album that balanced thrash influences with a new, heavier, and chunkier groove metal sound, praised for its experimental and sociopolitical themes, technical drumming, and experimental incorporation of Brazilian rhythms. While some critics saw it as a step away from their previous style, the consensus is that it was a refining and evolving step for the band, solidifying their position as a peak of their career and influential in the broader metal landscape.

1993 was a pivotal year for Sepultura. It was the year which saw the release of the Brazilian band’s fifth album Chaos A.D., the record that took them from a beloved cult band into one of the biggest on the planet. Sepultura had already undoubtedly made waves in the metal scene; from their raw beginnings on Bestial Devastation (1985) and Morbid Visions (1986) to their breakthrough record Beneath The Remains (1989). However, Chaos A.D. would blow things wide open.

Sonically, the band expanded upon their death and thrash metal roots yet added a whole host of other influences to Chaos A.D.. This resulted in a brave new world for both Sepultura and for metal in general, showing that there was so much to experiment with and incorporate into heavy music. Those influences included all manner of punk and hardcore bands such as DISCHARGE musically and lyrically. This also included crucial tribal influences which saluted Sepultura‘s homeland; seeing the quartet Max Cavalera (vocals/rhythm guitar), his brother Igor Cavalera (drums), Andreas Kisser (lead guitarist) and Paulo Jr (bass) rise to the upper echelons of metal.

With grunge still in full swing in 1993, extreme music had pretty much gone underground. Yet bands such as FAITH NO MORE, MINISTRY, PRONG, and HELMET, who incorporated eclectic influences into their music, had broken through into mainstream. With Chaos A.D., Sepultura were about to join them. Chaos A.D. was recorded at the legendary Rockfield studios in Monmouthshire, Wales where the likes of BLACK SABBATH, MOTÖRHEAD and JUDAS PRIEST had recorded. The band also reunited with producer Andy Wallace, who had worked on previous album Arise.

A sample of the heartbeat of Max Cavalera‘s then unborn son Zyon soon turns into a pummelling tribal rhythm from Igor Cavalera on opening track Refuse/Resist. The riotous number hits like a Molotov cocktail, a rousing call to arms. From then on, the whole album is an eclectic and electrifying heavy music masterpiece. The tribal groove and anti-war stance of Territory and the anti-censorship anthem Slave New World (co-written with BIOHAZARD‘s Evan Seinfeld) are undisputed album highlights with the former being a live favourite ever since. The instrumental Kaiowas (recorded in the open air at the majestic Chepstow Castle) was a monumental highlight of Chaos A.D. as it saw the band fully embracing their Brazilian heritage with a storming song in tribute to a Braziallian Indian tribe with its hypnotic rhythms working well with the heaviness which surrounded it. Other cuts on the album such as Amen, Propaganda, and Biotech Is Godzilla (with its lyrics written by DEAD KENNEDYS‘ Jello Biafra), were just as powerful and made this a must listen to album.

As Chaos A.D. closes with the mighty Clenched Fist, it’s extremely clear this album is a statement of intent by Sepultura and one that packs a punch to this day. The band had achieved all they had set out to do with the recurs and ushered in a new era of heaviness.

1. Refuse/Resist

2. Territory

3. Slave New World

4. Amen

5. Kaiowas

6. Propaganda

7. Biotech Is Godzilla

8. Nomad

9. We Who Are Not As Others

10. Manifest

11. The Hunt

12. Clenched Fist

13. Chaos B.C.

14. Kaiowas (Tribal Jam)

15. Territory (Live)

16. Amen/Inner Self (Live)