Sepultura

Dante XXI

Written by: PP on 11/03/2006 17:09:09

Sepultura has spent their entire 22 year career in the shadow of the greatest thrash metal band ever, namely Slayer. "Dante XXI" is the bands most ambitious, most meaningful release to date. Now that's quite a bold statement after 22 years of music, including seminal releases such as "Arise", "Chaos A.D." and "Roots", but the band has opened their previously rather stuck up, unchangeable thrash metal into a dynamic, progressive and ever-changing combination of songs based on a book by the Italian poet and philosopher Dante Alighieri.

"Dante XXI" includes four intros labelled "Intro #1, Intro #2" and so on. Strangely enough, they're not in any specific order; the album kicks off with "Intro #4", "Intro #2" is track 7, "Intro #1" track 12 and "Intro #3" is the second last track on the album. The order does not seem to make any sense at first, but it forces you to think about why the band has chosen to place them in this order. And essentially, this is what "Dante XXI" challanges you to do: to think. It's not an album that'll spoonfeed you songs for the masses, but rather allocates you a job to think about the songs, themes and structures it presents in front of you.

When closely examined, "Dante XXI" can be described as one of the most meaningful, most significant thrash metal releases of the genre's history. Why? Because the band is so perfectly able to include the South American themes, highly flammable political questions, the instrumental band Apocalyptica and other guests on the album flawlessly together. Because each and every song is perfectly mastered, and so well thought out that it leaves the listener speechless even after countless listens to the album. Because the production level is as near perfection as it gets for a band like Sepultura. It's unnecessary to start naming standout tracks from a release like "Dante XXI", as within a years time this will be the most talked about metal album of 2006, unless miracles happen. Nobody can get beyond Slayer's ultimate position as the thrash metal kings, but if there's one contender to be taken seriously, it is Sepultura with "Dante XXI". I'm willing to place it into the top5 thrash releases of all time.

9

Download: Get the album, you won't regret it.
For the fans of: Slayer
Listen: Myspace

Release date 20.03.2006
SPV
Provided by Target ApS

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