Soulfly Primitive CD

4 Extra Tracks;LTD.Ed.

Soulfly: Max Cavalera (vocals, 4-string guitar); Mikey Doling (guitar); Marcelo D. Rapp (bass, percussion); Joe Nunez (drums, percussion).
Additional personnel includes: Sean Lennon (vocals, guitar); Toby Wright (vocals, clarinet, piano, keyboards, synthesizer, programming); Larry McDonald, Meia Noite (percussion); Deonte Perry (programming); Tom Araya, Grady, Chino, Corey.
Producers: Toby Wright, Max Cavalera, Sean Lennon.
Recorded at The Saltmine, Mesa, Arizonia.
When push came to shove, few metal fans ever had any doubts that Max Cavalera would do just fine on his own after his acrimonious split from Brazilian death metal heroes Sepultura. In fact, the guitarist/singer/songwriter quickly proved himself the better of the two parties with the release of his new band Soulfly's eponymous debut in 1998. But, whereas that record maintained a rather linear progression from Sepultura's often underappreciated, at times groundbreaking work, clearly the singer's more adventurous work was now behind him. Primitive, Soulfly's sophomore "solo" project, introduces the listener to yet another slew of "new" musical styles, experiments, and collaborations. Frustratingly, where albums like Arise and especially Roots broke through standard metal clichés by reinventing its aesthetic with often startling results, a record like Primitive just seems like a haphazardly thrown-together melange of styles, with few cuts really managing to inspire or even gel. In fact, most of Cavalera's ideas sound half-baked here -- teetering on the cusp of something great, but never fulfilling that promise. With its mishmash of moods and irreverent sense of experimentation, Primitive teases but mostly plays it safe with its facile over-the-top posturing. Maybe it's the fact that Cavalera's lyrics have become something of an embarrassing mess these days, with the singer (and we use the term loosely) abusing every overwrought rap-metal cliché imaginable. Ignore the words (and let's not kid ourselves, a lot of folks will) and one is left with a solid, somewhat predictable metal release, which almost redeems itself thanks in part to a punchy production courtesy of Korn and Alice in Chains producer/engineer Toby Wright. As for the individual tracks themselves, opener "Back to the Primitive" is perfectly interchangeable with any other of the opening cuts on all the previous Soulfly and Sepultura albums (something Metallica once mastered to perfection back in its heyday). However, at the end of the day, Cavalera is no Hetfield and "Back to the Primitive" is no "Fight Fire With Fire" or "Battery" for that matter. Primitive then succumbs to a cluster-f**k of guest appearances including Slayer's Tom Araya, the Deftones' Chino Moreno, and the entire Mulambo Tribe (huh?) from Brazil -- yielding as many "ooh, that was neat" reactions as it does "what the hell was that for?" confusion. Of the aforementioned lyrical calamities, the otherwise satisfying "Bring It" and "Jump the F**k Up" are especially laughable for their sheer stupidity. "Mulambo," as one has come to expect, is the album's meaningless, supposed tribal chant (and no, it doesn't mean anything in Portuguese either), while "In Memory of..." is simply a blatantly shortsighted attempt at hip-hop. Two offerings, however, are pretty much beyond reproach: there's "Son Song," a surprising lucid collaboration with Sean Lennon that succeeds because it is so downright catchy and off the wall, and the closing "Flyhigh," truly surprising with its female lead co-vocal and bludgeoning detuned guitar groove. Ultimately, Primitive finds Cavalera in a reluctant holding pattern, and begs the question: "Where do we go from here?" ~ John Franck & Ed Rivadvia
When push came to shove, few metal fans ever had any doubts that Max Cavalera would do just fine on his own after his acrimonious split from Brazilian death metal heroes Sepultura. In fact, the guitarist/singer/songwriter quickly proved himselfRolling Stone (9/28/00, pp.53-4) - 3.5 stars out of 5 - "...Old-school...Primitive is deeper...in the sound of [ex-Sepultura frontman] Max Cavalera's lived-in growl, the churning effect of a 4-string guitar and his concerns..."
Q (11/00, pp.114-6) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...While [their] percussive, ethnic grooves certainlymake an impact, it's only when Cavalera allows his formula to be altered by others that sparks truly fly..."
Alternative Press (11/00, p.128) - 3 out of 5 - "...With pre-millennial speed metal rubbing elbows with hip-hop, excursions into ambient instrumentals and acerbic soul, and a host of guests...PRIMITIVE is certainly a record [with] breadth..."
CMJ (8/28/00, p.32) - "...More relaxed than their debut, the low-end slaughterhouse riffs are still embellished with Cavalera's beloved tribal percussion....[It] locks its teeth into the jugular..."
Melody Maker (10/10/00, p.50) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...The metal album of the year so far....An incendiary blend of nu-metal, reggae and Brazilain rhythms..."
NME (Magazine) (11/4/00, p.46) - 7 out of 10 - "...Draws on Max's political rage at colonial history and crimes of the conquistadors....the heavy metal Bob Marley..."