Cavalera Conspiracy - Blunt Force Trauma
When Cavalera Conspiracy first came around, many people (including myself) had to cross their legs to avoid wetting themselves in excitement - after more than a decade apart, Max and Igor Cavalera were playing music together again. The Cavalera brothers were the foundation for the once-legendary-now-questionable Sepultura, a band who have fallen a long way from the position they held in metal in 1994... mostly because of Max cavalera's departure in 1996. But I digress, Cavalera Conspiracy's first album "Inflikted" was hotly anticipated but met with mixed reviews - some loved it, others felt it was far too similar to Soulfly. But with the band's second album "Blunt Force Trauma" being described as, to quote Max, 'making Inflikted sound like a pop record", will they deliver or disappoint?
Sadly, the latter.
The accusations of Cavalera Conspiracy (now on referred to simply as 'CC') being exceptionally similar to Soulfly weren't overly apparent on the band's debut, but here? It's essentially a direct followup to last year's "Omen" record in almost every way, and that's including some of the elements that gave "Omen" a bad name... namely the song titles, the seeming lack of ideas and Marc Rizzo's unnecessary guitar playing. The band still comes up with some decent enough post-thrash/groove metal riffing, but you constantly get the feeling that you've heard it all before and you've heard it all done far better, even by Max himself - though I'll readily admit that tracks like "Torture", "Target" and "Rasputin" are decent slabs of simple, fast and energetic metal that almost manage to capture some of the spirit that "Inflikted" possessed. That being said, for the most part the songs present on the album seem to feel overly similar, full of harmonics and annoying squeaky pinches, completely lifeless and don't have much in the way of identity or character - again, something that made the previous album so good. And as with Soulfly's "Omen" record, some of the song titles here made me laugh uncontrollably for a good few minutes - "Thrasher"? "Genghis Khan"? Come on Max, you can do better and you know it.
And now I come to one of the biggest problems facing the album, which is Marc Rizzo. Now I'm not saying that Marc isn't a great player - he really is - but his solos are completely random, with little sense of direction... they're pretty much unnecessary. His work on Soulfly's "Dark Ages", "Conquer" and a fair chunk of "Omen", not to mention CC's debut, was relatively restrained and worked well for the most part, but here it's just too messy and does nothing to add to any of the songs. All these negative aspects aside, "Blunt Force Trauma" has a few redeeming qualities - as stated, a few of the songs are well thought out, they're not too overlong ("Torture" for example is less than two minutes) and everybody does a good job fulfilling their roles, especially producer Logan Mader (ex-Machine Head) who really gave the album a crushing albeit generic sound.
I'd really like to score this higher but unfortunately, Cavalera Conspiracy's "Blunt Force Trauma" is subpar at best - die-hard Max fanboys and metal newbies who have very low standards and don't know any better will worship it, but the more experienced metal fan would be wise to avoid this altogether, or at least approach it with extreme caution. This is nothing short of a colossal disappointment considering how good the first album was, and a smattering of decent riffs with three decent songs doesn't make this album worthy of purchase - my advice? If you really must have it, then download it. I really can't justify forking out $12 on this.
Sadly, the latter.
The accusations of Cavalera Conspiracy (now on referred to simply as 'CC') being exceptionally similar to Soulfly weren't overly apparent on the band's debut, but here? It's essentially a direct followup to last year's "Omen" record in almost every way, and that's including some of the elements that gave "Omen" a bad name... namely the song titles, the seeming lack of ideas and Marc Rizzo's unnecessary guitar playing. The band still comes up with some decent enough post-thrash/groove metal riffing, but you constantly get the feeling that you've heard it all before and you've heard it all done far better, even by Max himself - though I'll readily admit that tracks like "Torture", "Target" and "Rasputin" are decent slabs of simple, fast and energetic metal that almost manage to capture some of the spirit that "Inflikted" possessed. That being said, for the most part the songs present on the album seem to feel overly similar, full of harmonics and annoying squeaky pinches, completely lifeless and don't have much in the way of identity or character - again, something that made the previous album so good. And as with Soulfly's "Omen" record, some of the song titles here made me laugh uncontrollably for a good few minutes - "Thrasher"? "Genghis Khan"? Come on Max, you can do better and you know it.
And now I come to one of the biggest problems facing the album, which is Marc Rizzo. Now I'm not saying that Marc isn't a great player - he really is - but his solos are completely random, with little sense of direction... they're pretty much unnecessary. His work on Soulfly's "Dark Ages", "Conquer" and a fair chunk of "Omen", not to mention CC's debut, was relatively restrained and worked well for the most part, but here it's just too messy and does nothing to add to any of the songs. All these negative aspects aside, "Blunt Force Trauma" has a few redeeming qualities - as stated, a few of the songs are well thought out, they're not too overlong ("Torture" for example is less than two minutes) and everybody does a good job fulfilling their roles, especially producer Logan Mader (ex-Machine Head) who really gave the album a crushing albeit generic sound.
I'd really like to score this higher but unfortunately, Cavalera Conspiracy's "Blunt Force Trauma" is subpar at best - die-hard Max fanboys and metal newbies who have very low standards and don't know any better will worship it, but the more experienced metal fan would be wise to avoid this altogether, or at least approach it with extreme caution. This is nothing short of a colossal disappointment considering how good the first album was, and a smattering of decent riffs with three decent songs doesn't make this album worthy of purchase - my advice? If you really must have it, then download it. I really can't justify forking out $12 on this.
1. Warlord
2. Torture
3. Lynch Mob
4. Killing Inside
5. Thrasher
6. I Speak Hate
7. Target
8. Genghis Khan
9. Burn Waco
10. Rasputin
11. Blunt Force Trauma
12. Psychosomatic (Bonus Track)
13. Jihad Joe (Bonus Track)
14. Electric Funeral (cover Black Sabbath, Bonus Track)
2. Torture
3. Lynch Mob
4. Killing Inside
5. Thrasher
6. I Speak Hate
7. Target
8. Genghis Khan
9. Burn Waco
10. Rasputin
11. Blunt Force Trauma
12. Psychosomatic (Bonus Track)
13. Jihad Joe (Bonus Track)
14. Electric Funeral (cover Black Sabbath, Bonus Track)
