Sepultura Live at The House of Blues in Anaheim, CA 05/18/2017

Since 1984, Brazil's biggest name in metal music, Sepultura, have been paving the way for modern metal music, not only in South America, but around the world.

The band has gone through quite a few ups and downs and persevered through line-up changes and inter-band drama that would have left most other bands as footnotes in musical history.

Today they are still going strong with the recent release of their fourteenth album, "Machine Messiah". Touring in support of this album and as direct support to the mighty Testament, Sepultura return to US soil and lay down an ultra-heavy set, heavily biased towards the new material but also giving long-time fans some morsels of the past.

Forming the back bone of the band, the core of its sound, is Andreas Kisser on lead guitar. Andreas has played on every single Sepultura album, and while he was not part of the founding duo that are no longer with the band, he has been the one to keep it alive and true to their origins and sound.

Paulo Jr. on bass guitar has also been there from the beginning. With Andreas the two have maintained the Sepultura legacy and drive the band onwards with each new release.

Joining the veterans, Derrick Green came on as lead vocalist back in 1998 and has shaped the band's sound as much as anyone, redefining their aggressive style that falls somewhere between thrash and death metal.

Finishing off the band with the essential percussion is Eloy Casagrande who came into the band six years ago. His distinct drumming style incorporates a noticeable element of their Brazilian traditional heritage and sets their sound apart from peers in that way alone.

They opened the set with an aggressive track from the latest release with "I Am The Enemy". Derrick is imposing and looks massive towering up on the stage above us. The only non-native of Brazil, Derrick originally hales from Ohio here in the US but fits in perfectly with his stage-brothers.

They followed up that song with what is one of my favorite songs from the new record with "Phantom Self". It tells the story of someone in a horrendous crash that haunts them still. A victim of P.T.S.D. it has basically transformed them into someone else. They then have to come to terms and face this "phantom self".

For the third song of the set they did one of my favorite Sepultura songs of the modern era and perhaps of all of their eras. "Kairos" is the title track from their 2011 album release and is an ancient Greek word that means the right or opportune moment - the "supreme moment" if you will for decision or action.

They moved back quite far in time for their next song with "Desperate Cry" from 1991's "Arise" album. The fans reacted with renewed fervor in the circle pit as this album is often sited as one of the seminal Sepultura releases and critically acclaimed in the metal world at large.

Keeping a heavy hand in the present, they returned to "Machine Messiah" for "Sworn Oath". Like a sling-shot effect, they snapped even further back in time for "Inner Self" from the 1989 album, "Beneath the Remains". At times Derrick would join in on the percussion with a single drum up near the mic stand, adding additional punctuation to key moments.

Returning once more to the latest album, they gave us "Alethea" followed by the excellent "Resistant Parasites". They had played a large portion of the new album for us and it sounded really good live.

They proceeded to finish out the set with three old fan-favorites. Starting off with a crowd pleaser from "Chaos A.D." they did "Refuse/Resist".

It is a toss up depending on who you talk to whether this album or "Roots" are their favorite Sepultura album but the final two songs both came from the later release. "Ratamahatta" went over huge with the audience but the final song of the night was what everybody was waiting for - they closed out the set with "Roots Bloody Roots".

I was really happy with the set list they chose as it is always cool to hear new material, but when a band has been around as long as Sepultura, you also want to indulge in some of those early songs that got you into the band in the first place. They touched upon all four of the big albums that I remember from back in the day, framed nicely with the majority of the set being from "Machine Messiah".

It was a great show, encompassing the old and the new of Sepultura and illustrates what a long and unwavering legacy this band has paved in the metal world.




				Sepultura Live at The House of Blues Anaheim, CA May 18th, 2017 Review and photos by Travis Baumann Since 1984, Brazil's biggest name in metal music, Sepultura, have been paving the way for modern metal music, not only in South America, but around the world. The band has gone through quite a few ups and downs and persevered through line-up changes and inter-band drama that would have left most other bands as footnotes in musical history. Today they are still going strong with the recent release of their fourteenth album, "Machine Messiah". Touring in support of this album and as direct support to the mighty Testament, Sepultura return to US soil and lay down an ultra-heavy set, heavily biased towards the new material but also giving long-time fans some morsels of the past. Forming the back bone of the band, the core of its sound, is Andreas Kisser on lead guitar. Andreas has played on every single Sepultura album, and while he was not part of the founding duo that are no longer with the band, he has been the one to keep it alive and true to their origins and sound. Paulo Jr. on bass guitar has also been there from the beginning. With Andreas the two have maintained the Sepultura legacy and drive the band onwards with each new release. Joining the veterans, Derrick Green came on as lead vocalist back in 1998 and has shaped the band's sound as much as anyone, redefining their aggressive style that falls somewhere between thrash and death metal. Finishing off the band with the essential percussion is Eloy Casagrande who came into the band six years ago. His distinct drumming style incorporates a noticeable element of their Brazilian traditional heritage and sets their sound apart from peers in that way alone. They opened the set with an aggressive track from the latest release with "I Am The Enemy". Derrick is imposing and looks massive towering up on the stage above us. The only non-native of Brazil, Derrick originally hales from Ohio here in the US but fits in perfectly with his stage-brothers. They followed up that song with what is one of my favorite songs from the new record with "Phantom Self". It tells the story of someone in a horrendous crash that haunts them still. A victim of P.T.S.D. it has basically transformed them into someone else. They then have to come to terms and face this "phantom self". For the third song of the set they did one of my favorite Sepultura songs of the modern era and perhaps of all of their eras. "Kairos" is the title track from their 2011 album release and is an ancient Greek word that means the right or opportune moment - the "supreme moment" if you will for decision or action. They moved back quite far in time for their next song with "Desperate Cry" from 1991's "Arise" album. The fans reacted with renewed fervor in the circle pit as this album is often sited as one of the seminal Sepultura releases and critically acclaimed in the metal world at large. Keeping a heavy hand in the present, they returned to "Machine Messiah" for "Sworn Oath". Like a sling-shot effect, they snapped even further back in time for "Inner Self" from the 1989 album, "Beneath the Remains". At times Derrick would join in on the percussion with a single drum up near the mic stand, adding additional punctuation to key moments. Returning once more to the latest album, they gave us "Alethea" followed by the excellent "Resistant Parasites". They had played a large portion of the new album for us and it sounded really good live. They proceeded to finish out the set with three old fan-favorites. Starting off with a crowd pleaser from "Chaos A.D." they did "Refuse/Resist". It is a toss up depending on who you talk to whether this album or "Roots" are their favorite Sepultura album but the final two songs both came from the later release. "Ratamahatta" went over huge with the audience but the final song of the night was what everybody was waiting for - they closed out the set with "Roots Bloody Roots". I was really happy with the set list they chose as it is always cool to hear new material, but when a band has been around as long as Sepultura, you also want to indulge in some of those early songs that got you into the band in the first place. They touched upon all four of the big albums that I remember from back in the day, framed nicely with the majority of the set being from "Machine Messiah". It was a great show, encompassing the old and the new of Sepultura and illustrates what a long and unwavering legacy this band has paved in the metal world.



















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