ALBUM REVIEW: Ritual – Soulfly

October 17, 2018 Rich Webb

Max Cavalera is a man who refuses to stand still. Since his time in SEPULTURA he has kept himself busy with numerous projects such as NAILBOMB, KILLER BE KILLED and CAVALERA CONSPIRACY. However, all of these projects pale in comparison to his work with the mighty SOULFLY who are set to release their eleventh studio album Ritual. The release is set to be the first to feature the relatively new bassist Mike Leon (who has in fact been an active member of the band since 2015) who joins guitarist Marc Rizzo and Cavalera’s son Zyon on drums.

Album opener and title track Ritual begins with some traditional Brazilian chanting and percussion which will prove to be one of the few examples of world music to be utilised in the entire album before diving straight in to a nu metal influenced bouncy guitar riff that wouldn’t have been out of place on any of the band’s first three studio releases. This then gives way to the classic SOULFLY groove metal stylings that have become such a staple of the band’s sound over the past two decades. The guitar riffs included plenty of natural harmonics and pitch-shifting effects in the place of over the top technicality which so often becomes tedious in modern metal music and instead gives the feel and raw power to drive the song forwards. Throw in an industrial sized breakdown and impressive guitar solo from Rizzo and you have all the right ingredients for a decent opening track for the album.

The following song Dead Behind The Eyes sees Cavalera blowing the dust off his impressive book of contacts and acquiring the services of LAMB OF GOD frontman Randy Blythe. The two vocalists play off brilliantly with each other and manage to stitch together both the required brutality and melody for the song to stay in the memory. Rizzo is once again on top form and delivers some excellent rhythmic guitars runs that are not too dissimilar from Bythe’s day job but still stick to SOULFLY‘s trademark groove-laden sound. Despite the fact that Leon has been with the outfit for more than three years this is the first time that he has had a hand in the recording of new material so it will be a relief for fans to hear that he links in with Zyon Cavalera (the stickman is now on his third studio outing with the group) brilliantly and creates the tight rhythm section that is so imperative to the band’s sound.

In the second half of the album we find one of the true highlights in the form of Evil Empowered which gives the audience a chance to see what the young man behind the kit can really do as he flies out of the trap at one hundred miles an hour, punishing the skins and pedals of his kit before applying the handbrake rather abruptly to settle in to the swaggering, mid-tempo beat that accompanies the verse of the song. Cavalera shouts in to the microphone with venom and snarls his way through his powerful lyrical content such as “Bow down to the greatest corruptor. The second coming of the antichrist unearthed”. The highlight of the song comes in the second half in the form of gargantuan breakdown that is simply begging for a wall of death scenario when SOULFLY bring it into their already stellar live set list which is accompanied by yet another impressive guitar solo from Rizzo which is sure to keep the guitar enthusiasts appeased.

In the latter stages of the album the song Bite The Bullet presents an almost power metal influenced lead guitar part which is something that seems completely out of character for SOULFLY. This is not to say that it is a bad thing. In fact, it is quite the contrary as it provides a slight detour from the usual formula that the band has used time and time again for the past twenty years and gives Rizzo a chance to show off the kind of musical piece that he usually saves for his solo work. The following song Feedback! is an even further detour from the band’s usual blueprint and sounds like something from the cutting room floor of a classic MOTORHEAD album with its upbeat nature, high energy delivery and lyrical clichés aplenty. This is metal party song and should be treated as such. The kind of people who will judge this song as anything but are the kind of people who judge The Expendables as a traditional, serious action film. In other words, this is a song to disengage your brain to and just enjoy it for what it is and that is fun.

In summary, the eleventh studio album from SOULFLY is a superb release. There are moments of experimentation throughout no matter how slight and discreet they may seem. The songs are direct and full of impact and delivered with power and confidence and at ten tracks the album certainly does not overstay its welcome. Max Cavalera has always had a knack for creating a high-quality product in great volumes and that shows here with his experience in writing music melding perfectly with the young blood of his musical cohorts to create the exact album that SOULFLY needed to release in 2018 to stay relevant.

Rating: 8/10