ALBUM REVIEW: Chama – Soulfly
It’s very easy to take SOULFLY for granted. The groove metallers have been a consistent presence in heavy metal since the late nineties, but don’t tend to attract as much publicity as they did in their early days. They are still technically the ‘main band’ for frontman Max Cavalera, but his side projects and nostalgia tours have stolen most of the attention. SOULFLY have felt more like a side-hustle than a full-time job of late, and while the tribe still shows out in force, it’s a lot more insular than it was in 2001.
Which is a shame, because while the likes of KILLER BE KILLED, GO AHEAD AND DIE, and NAILBOMB have been getting all the hype, SOULFLY have quietly delivered some of their best work. 2018’s Ritual was a fantastic return to form, and 2022’s Totem was terrific as well. Their back catalogue can be hit or miss, but the last few years have seen SOULFLY repeatedly delivering the goods.
That brings us to Chama, the thirteenth album to bear the band’s name. It finds Max indulging in his trademark; big thunderous almost-death-metal with tribal beats and catchy choruses. Chama is the Brazilian word for ‘flame,’ and this record burns.
The opening Storm The Gates is a classic throwback. It’s a punky slice of thrash and has all the energetic nastiness of a medieval army ransacking a conquered city. No Pain = No Power is a punishing mini-anthem and could have appeared on their debut, while the climactic title track sees a few GOJIRA influences spilling into the mix. The layered riffage and intense rhythm section deliver a dense, midtempo rager that’s filled with Easter Eggs for longtime listeners. It’s a fire-spitting, tyre squealing finale and one of the nastier cuts in the band’s history.
There’s a primal urgency in the bruising Nihilist (a tribute to LG Petrov) that speaks of rushing through a wilderness while caked in mud, and then there’s Gehenna. Here, Max’s love of extreme metal comes to the fore in a rabid, sub-two-minute blast of naked aggression. It’s the heaviest song on a very heavy album and it’s ace.
This record is extremely aggressive, but it’s not just violence. Chama is rich in atmosphere, with chants and clever instrumentation conjuring visions of ancient rituals and native spirituality. The meditative Soulfly XIII continues a tradition that began with the first record and is an instrumental that’s made for sitting by a campfire and staring at a clear night sky. Even in the nastier moments, there are subtle nods and evocative melodies that bring to mind the scale of suffering inherent in human history. Max screaming “take back the land, take back the power,” doesn’t come from nowhere.
Whether this is the best SOULFLY album of the last decade is up for debate, but it’s clear there’s a lot going on with them. They fell into an unrelenting album/tour/album cycle for a few years and for a while, it felt like SOULFLY were treading water. But with his son backing him up (Zyon has been the drummer since 2012), they’ve become a consistently impressive force. It’s time to stop focusing on past glories for the Cavalera lads, there’s a lot of creativity left in them yet.
Rating: 8/10
Chama is out now via Nuclear Blast Records.
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