Roots
The percussion is the most compelling voice on Roots. Sepultura give the drums enough presence to shape the whole record, while the lowered guitars provide weight and friction around them. It is a powerful change of emphasis, even when the songwriting does not fully match the ambition.
Roots Bloody Roots makes a strong entrance with a blunt, memorable riff and Max Cavalera's strained roar. The song needs very little material to establish its identity. Its repetitions feel purposeful because the rhythm keeps pressing the same idea from different angles.
Ratamahatta is a more adventurous high point. Carlinhos Brown's presence opens the music to a different kind of vocal and percussive movement, and the heavy guitars become part of a larger conversation. The loose edges contribute to the excitement, although the arrangement sometimes feels closer to an inspired session than a carefully resolved song.
Attitude begins with the berimbau before the band enter at full weight. The introduction is distinctive, but the connection between that sound and the heavier section is less fully developed. That tension runs through the album: the different musical elements are often interesting in themselves, while their relationship can remain uncertain.
Igor Cavalera gives even the simplest riffs considerable movement. His playing is busy without losing its central pulse, making Straighthate and Born Stubborn more involving than their basic guitar patterns might suggest. Max's voice adds commitment, though its near-constant extremity can reduce the difference between songs.
Itsári, recorded with Xavante musicians, offers an important change in texture and scale. The voices and percussion deserve attention on their own terms, and the quieter setting allows them to register. Elsewhere, several pieces lean too heavily on a repeated heavy figure without finding an equally strong destination. The extended closing Canyon Jam is the clearest example. Roots remains a striking record because its best moments make rhythmic exploration feel immediate and physical. Its uneven joins are part of the experience, with the strongest performances reaching beyond the limitations of the individual riffs.
