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Sepultura - Schizophrenia
Review: In an ambitious offering of a technically-upgraded look at their groundbreaking sound, Sepultura take a step into the past and merge elements of the more technique-oriented speed metal bands such as Kreator, Destruction or Slayer into the trademark death metal sound of these Brazilians. Theme development occurs with more relevance to song expansion, and skidding muffled strum riffs transfer motion like fleet-limbed martial artists, making clear and simple songs into complex but more cohesive sounds.
Lead guitarist Andres Kisser adds melodic structure to leads and a proficient sense of hook to each song in a replacement for anthemic chanting and corresponding change in phrase. Guitar textures have improved in some ways and regressed in others, with more emphasis on percussive sounds and less on the roar of unfettered tremolo ripping as found on the first two EPs. The rhythm section is steadier and undergoes more sleight of emphasis tempo changes and gentle backhand foreshadowing within a rage of percussion. Vocals are a hard-edged shout dressed in the distorted voice of death metal, enacting change within the aesthetic of each portion of song by rupturing its surface in different ways. With a playful sense of the possibilities of continuity in rhythmic phrase, this band gestures at a range of tempos from the linear development of pace.
At an ultimate success test, this album would initially look favorable but fail in final consideration under analysis of fractures in its songwriting process where focus was lost or randomness/cliche crept in. There has been too much of a reversal from the first to depend on its techniques, but the new technique is just outside of the reach of this band at this time. On the next album, the synthesis is made, but in the meantime "Schizophrenia" is a ripping testament to one era of Sepultura history.