The album starts with a dark and freaky intro which annoys you when you are listening to this song with a headphone. But then the whirlwind starts, Sepultura is bringing back the power again with song like ‘Dark Wood of Error’ and ‘Convinced in Life’. Where the last three albums weren’t able to live up to my expectations ‘Dante XXI’ is a record with a soul. The band finally used their creativity in the most efficient way. The music is old school thrash recorded in the way it should be; raw and brutal.

 

The roaring vocals of Derrick Green over the shredding guitars of Andreas Kisser combined with powerful drumming of Igor Cavalera and some cool new effects has brought the band to a new level. On this album the band finally took some time to experiment. With four intros Sepultura took the time to expand their musical abilities and reach a new level which hasn’t been reached in quite some years. And it sure has it effects on the final product. In these intros the band is using a lot of new instruments like a string quartet on Intro #2 and Intro #1 and even a choir on ‘Still Fame’.

 

With an attractive cover, painted by Stephan Doitschnoff from Brazil, this album is a must-have for the metal freak. Too bad there are some minors which are important when I have to make a final judgment. With a little bit more than 39 minutes and 15 songs you expect more music. But what the hell: It’s Thrash in it’s purest form. Sepultura is back!

 

The band will be touring Europe in March 2006 with In Flames as their support.