Soulfly Conquer CD

The dulcet strains of the orchestral introduction signal a new era of Soulfly's creative energy. CONQUER shows a much rejuvenated Soulfly at the top of their game. No longer confined to the simple, groove-based metalcore shackles, Soulfly demonstrates considerable artistic growth on each and every track. CONQUER sounds as though Max Cavalera and his mob of highly skilled musicians have returned to their "roots," bringing classic death metal and grindcore into the 21st century for a new generation. It is rare for a band 10 years into its career to reinvent itself this way. With guest appearances by Dave Peters (Throwdown) and David Vincent (Morbid Angel), Soulfly has done exactly that, and CONQUER is a most apt title for the result.

The Soulfly tribe is once again on the warpath. Soulfly's sixth offering for Roadrunner Records, Conquer, may very well be the musical equivalent of the movie Braveheart. The songs -much like the warriors in the film- channel raw, unbridled rage through a cacophony of thrash guitars, infectious grooves, tribal polyrhythms and Max Cavalera's unmistakable, thunderous roar. On this record, Soulfly unleash a metallic mayhem unlike anything they've done previously. Conquer shifts from unrelenting, precise speed metal to slow, brooding doom. Once again, it's the legendary Max Cavalera who stands at the eye of the storm, uniting the musical tribe and acting as its unofficial leader. Since their Silver-certified, self-titled debut in 1997, Soulfly have remained one of the genre's most consistently brutal outfits. From the moment Max Cavalera left Sepultura to form Soulfly, he's remained prolific. Four critically acclaimed albums and numerous world tours followed Soulfly's now-classic debut. In 2008, Max once again partnered with his brother Iggor in Cavalera Conspiracy, releasing Inflikted. At the same time, he managed to write and record Conquer. Produced by Max and mixed by Andy Sneap (Machine Head, Arch Enemy), the album spans a violent spectrum. Max comments, "After Cavalera Conspiracy, I wanted to write a stronger, uncompromised statement with Soulfly. This is the Soulfly album that I've been trying to make for a long time." That's evident from the calculated rage and bludgeoning grooves that define songs like "Enemy Ghost" and "Rough." Conquer's cover artwork inspired the title and the picture holds a special significance for Max. "To me, it's not about conquering the world. My statement on the record is conquering fear. If you conquer your fear, you conquer life and death.". With that sincerity, there's no doubt that Max and company will conquer all roads ahead.

Soulfly: Max Cavalera (vocals, berimbau, sitar); Marc Rizzo (guitars, flamenco guitar); Bobby Burns (bass guitar); Joel Nunez (drums, percussion).

Audio Mixer: Andy Sneap.

Alternative Press (pp.166-167) - 4.5 stars out of 5 -- "[A] furious, eclectic, sonically adventurous metal disc....Awesome."
Kerrang (Magazine) (p.44) - "[P]acked with enough invention, aggression and sheer quality tunes to make most other metal bands blush."
Q (Magazine) (p.107) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "The faithful will appreciate the full-blodied tribal fury on his sixth Soulfly album..."