Arise (CD - 1991)

Additional personnel: Henrique (sythesizer); Kent Smith (sound effects).

Recorded at Morrisound Recording, Tampa, Florida. Includes liner notes by Don Kaye.

Sepultura: Max Cavalera (vocals, guitar); Andreas Kisser (guitar); Paulo Jr. (bass); Igor Cavalera (drums).

Additional personnel: Henrique (sythesizer); Kent Smith (sound effects).

Recorded at Morrisound Recording, Tampa, Florida. Includes liner notes by Don Kaye.

It's rare for a band to follow up their watershed album with an album of equal merit, but that's exactly what Brazil's Sepultura did with ARISE. Where 1989's BENEATH THE REMAINS thrust the band into the forefront of the international metal scene, ARISE--by matching BENEATH's songwriting, chops, and brilliantly brutal execution--made sure that the band maintained their status.

ARISE's single "Dead Embryonic Cells" proved popular, thanks in no small part to its controversial video. But it's the musicality of this track, and tunes like the title cut and "Altered State," that represent Sepultura's incontestable power. Lead guitarist Andreas Kisser shreds without ceasing, and singer Max Cavelera growls and screams amidst double-bass, jackhammer rhythms. BENEATH THE REMAINS may top more lists as an essential album, but that's largely because of its place in the band's discography. Equally intense and accomplished, ARISE is no less of album for being the successor.

Sepultura had shocked the death metal world in 1989 with the release of their third album, Beneath the Remains, whose seamless combination of songwriting chops and utter brutality quickly transformed the Brazilians from scene outsiders to one of its brightest hopes. The band toured nonstop in support of the album for most of the following two years, and was therefore pressured by both time constraints and enormous expectations when the bandmembers finally entered Tampa's Morrisound Studios with producer Scott Burns to record 1991's Arise. And though it ultimately lacked the consistency of its predecessor and added little innovation to the band's sound, Arise has aged surprisingly well, proving itself a worthy progression and surprisingly well-rounded in its own right. First single "Dead Embryonic Cells" was unquestionably the strongest of the band's death metal era, and its accompanying video broke new ground thanks to ample MTV rotation. Ironically, the subsequent banning of the vicious title track's video (filled with apocalyptic religious imagery) by the cable network would generate even more publicity than Sepultura could have hoped for had it actually been aired. Other album highlights included such complex, multifaceted pieces as "Desperate Cry" (an all-around tour de force for lead guitarist Andreas Kisser) and "Altered State" (which combines a Tarzan-style intro with a grinding detuned main riff and even acoustic guitars), as well as more straightforward thrashers like "Infected Voice" and mid-paced chuggers like "Under Siege (Regnum Irae)." Simply devoid of filler material, this album remains a classic of the death metal genre. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia

It's rare for a band to follow up their watershed album with an album of equal merit, but that's exactly what Brazil's Sepultura did with ARISE. Where 1989's BENEATH THE REMAINS thrust the band into the forefront of the international metal scene, ARISE--by matching BENEATH's songwriting, chops, and brilliantly brutal execution--made sure that the band maintained their status.

ARISE's single "Dead Embryonic Cells" proved popular, thanks in no small part to its controversial video. But it's the musicality of this track, and tunes like the title cut and "Altered State," that represent Sepultura's incontestable power. Lead guitarist Andreas Kisser shreds without ceasing, and singer Max Cavelera growls and screams amidst double-bass, jackhammer rhythms. BENEATH THE REMAINS may top more lists as an essential album, but that's largely because of its place in the band's discography. Equally intense and accomplished, ARISE is no less of album for being the successor. minimize