SEPULTURA - ARISE (1991)

First print vinyl of the brilliant "Arise" record by Sepultura on Roadrunner Records. This was the first album by Sepultura that I bought on CD back in day thanks to the promo video for the title track being shown on Headbanger’s Ball still think it’s one of their best songs. They made another video for the also amazing song Dead Embryonic Cells. “Arise” certainly made an impact and since they had signed with Roadrunner for their previous album “Beneath The Remains”(1989) they became a real name in the scene.

After “Arise” Sepultura released “Chaos A.D.” in 1993 at the time I enjoyed it even if it’s very different from their previous albums. With time in my opinion it’s not as good as I thought back then but still got some good songs on it. I would compare “Chaos A.D.” with “Metallica”(1991) and “Countdown To Extinction”(1992) by Megadeth good albums but when I think about Sepultura, Megadeth and Metallica those albums don’t come to mind.

I think about their glorious Thrash Metal albums (you all know which ones). Records I can listen to many times in a year without getting fed up with while “Chaos A.D”; “Countdown To Extinction” and “Metallica” I will only listen to maybe 2 times a year. When Sepultura released “Roots”(1996) and I heard those awful songs with that crap “Korn/Nu Metal sound” on Headbanger’s Ball I just gave up on the band.

Call me stubborn if you will but I haven’t been interested in anything Sepultura or the Cavalera brothers have done ever since (if you have some suggestions for great Sepultura songs after that leave a comment). Anyway even if I prefer “Beneath The Remains”(1989) the “Arise” album is still a top-10 Thrash Metal masterpiece that everyone into this marvelous scene should have a copy of in their collection.

Sepultura - Beneath The Remains (1989)

I've been listening to this Sepultura vinyl reissue from 2007 constantly recently. Even if “Arise”(1991) was the first Sepultura album I bought on CD back in the day I consider “Beneath The Remains” my favorite of record by them.

After I discovered Slayer music became more then just being a Metal guy (or a kid) grew my hair long and wanted the music to be more extreme, faster and harder. I had recorded the Arise video from Headbanger’s Ball and it got better and better with each view so I decided to listen to the album at one of my local record stores. It was so satisfying to discovered another brilliant Thrash Metal band. That they were from Brazil and the vocals of Max Cavalera just added to them being unique.

It didn’t take long before I bought “Beneath The Remains” on CD and a copy of the live VHS of “Under Siege live in Barcelona”(1992). This album was their first being released on a bigger label R/C Records an associated company to Roadrunner before that the band was signed to the Brazilian label Cogumelo Produções. The album was recorded with the then rather unexperienced producer Scott Burns (Death, Deicide, Obituary etc.) in Rio De Janeiro but it was mixed in Morrisound Recording.

Even if their previous releases “Bestial Devastation"; “Morbid Visions” and “Schizophrenia” are great it was this album that gave them a bigger name in the Thrash Metal scene. They made a video for the song Inner Self and also got to do their first concerts and tour outside of Brazil.

The cover artwork could’ve been something other but Roadrunner gave it to Obituary to use on “Cause of Death”(1990) instead but in my opinion the artwork used for “Beneath The Remains” is much better looking. This album is definitely among my favorite Thrash Metal records of all time.