Kingcrimsonprog Machine Messiah is an absolute rager of an album. In terms of quality, this is one of Sepultura’s best albums period. Of course you’ve got Chaos AD if your ears work, then there’s always either Arise or Roots depending on if you are a Thrash or Nu Metal fan and that’s more or less the way the Metal history books have kept it for years. Now however, this album and its follow up Quadra should rightly be considered absolutely essential Sepultura listening. (In fact, personal preference and sacrilegious though it may be, I would argue this and Quadra and joint second place behind only Chaos AD).

When you look at the cover image for this record, you could reasonably expect it to be some sort of modern version of Arise, like how some veteran bands tend to harken back to old covers when they are going back to their roots. However; stylistically, this album is a whole new kettle of fish.

There’s quite a bit of variety. The album opens with a slow and moody title track with clean vocals. Midway through there is a very proggy instrumental with melodic sweeping virtuoso guitar work. Towards the ends there are a few tracks with additional musicians, like violins and horns, creating a very cinematic and grand sound.

The core sound of the album though, is just really well written, modernised and exciting variations on the band’s signature Groove Metal style, but with much more twists and turns, syncopation, swing and outstanding levels of musicianship. The drums and lead guitars in particular are beyond impressive. Eloy Casagrande is arguably the best drummer they’ve ever had and Andreas Kisser hasn’t just stagnated as a guitarist, he has pushed himself to new heights. This is leagues above anything they were putting up in the first decade after Max left.

I’d usually like to list highlights at this point, but to be honest, there isn’t a wasted moment on the whole disc. ‘Phantom Self’ has the riffs, ‘Iceberg Dances’ and ‘Cyber God’ have the solos, ‘Vandals Nest’ and ‘Resistant Parasites’ have the drums, ‘I Am The Enemy’ and ‘Silent Violence’ have the vocal hooks, and ‘Machine Messiah’ and ‘Alethea’ just have the general cool factor. Its one of the best single collection of songs the band has ever produced.

Clocking in at a tidy 46 minutes without overstaying its welcome and featuring just 10 songs every single one of which is memorable, this is as close to a perfect album as you can get. The best thing is that it just gets better the more you listen to it. I thought it was good the first time I heard it, but the more I spin it, the more I discover. The more I discover the more I love. It just keeps on giving.

Overall, this is a superb album that I whole heartedly recommend without hesitation or caveat. In fact, if you like any other Sepultura album but don’t own this, I downright insist you check it out.

UMUR "Machine Messiah" is the 14th full-length studio album by Brazilian metal act Sepultura. The album was released through Nuclear Blast Records in January 2017. It´s the successor to "The Mediator Between Head and Hands Must Be the Heart" from 2013, and features the exact same lineup who recorded the predecessor.

Stylistically the material on "Machine Messiah" is a combination of thrash and groove metal, and there are even a couple of progressive metal traits to be found, which isn´t a completely new thing in Sepultura´s universe, but it´s less understated here than on previous efforts into progressive territories. The latter is only an influence though and is mostly heard on the instrumental "Iceberg Dances" and the following "Sworn Oath". "Machine Messiah" is overall a rather adventurous release, and in addition to the two tracks mentioned above, there are fast aggressive thrashers like "I Am the Enemy" and "Silent Violence", and heavy epic tracks like "Cyber God" and the title track (which features some really strong clean vocals by Derrick Green), featured on the album. Tracks like "Phantom Self" and "Resistent Parasites" both feature a lot of heavy grooves, but that´s an element, which is dominant throughout the album. So all in all "Machine Messiah" is a relatively varied album.

It´s also a very well written album, and each track stand out and leaves a lasting impression. "Machine Messiah" is a concept album influenced by "the robotization of our society" (the band´s own words). There´s a dark and angry atmosphere surrounding the release, which suits Sepultura well. The musicianship is as always on a high level and a great asset to the album. Green has a strong voice and a commanding and versatile delivery, Andreas Kisser plays one inventive guitar riff and solo after another, Paulo Jr. delivers the heavy bass grooves, and Eloy Casagrande is one hell of a powerhouse drummer. Actually I can´t stop praising Casagrande for what he has done for Sepultura´s sound since he entered the lineup on 2011. His playing is fusion influenced, but he is also true to the band´s thrash/groove metal roots, and the occassional tribal style drumming part. He delivers any kind of rhythm with seamless ease and great conviction. He is a major asset to the band´s sound and the rest of the band should go to great lengths to keep him in the band.

"Machine Messiah" features a powerful and detailed sound production which helps bring the best out in the material, so it´s a high quality release on all parameters. A great sounding production, a well playing band, and very well written material...you can´t really ask for more. In terms of "Machine Messiah´s" place in Sepultura´s by now huge discography, I´d dare say it´s one of their better releases and probably their best post-Max Cavalera album yet. While a lot of water has run under the bridge since the glory days of the early- to mid 90s, and Sepultura have picked up quite a few new influences since then, this may be an album which can bring some of the old fans back into the fold. If not for the Sepultura name, then for the sheer quality of the music. A 4.5 star (90%) rating is deserved.

Unitron Sepultura hasn't gotten a whole lot of appreciation since 1993's Chaos A.D. While Roots does get a bit more appreciation from those who don't have an issue with nu-metal, you won't hear many talking about any of the post-Cavalera albums. Four years after the release of the lengthy titled The Mediator Between Head and Hands Must Be the Heart, which was seen as Sepultura's return to a thrash metal-based sound, the band returns with the much simpler titled Machine Messiah.

Machine Messiah features quite a variety of musical elements, inside and outside of metal, and actually comes across as quite experimental. There's a blend of tribal groove metal and crossover thrash throughout the majority of the album, the latter being most prevalent in "I Am the Enemy". It's one of the most crushing songs the band's released in a while, and instantly got me hooked with its chromatic death metal riffing, rumbling bass sound, and punk-thrash pace. Want more thrash, "Vandals Nest" brings some total old-school thrash mixed with some great melodies towards the end. I must also give mention to the guitar tone on this album, it's got such a razor-sharp punch to it, while having a dissonant tone for the slower bits.

The album opens up and ends on an odd note for Sepultura, with both the title track and "Cyber God" being melodic heavy metal/alternative metal tracks with a bit of a metalcore vibe. This may be seen as a negative for some, but I think it works great and makes these among the best on the album. "Sworn Oath" is another song that displays some of this influence at the beginning, but soon picks up a killer groove with majestic symphonic instrumentation. Derrick Green's melodic vocals on this track are really deep and emotive, and creates a nice contrast to his usual gruff barks. Speaking of said vocals, his gruff vocals on this album remind me a lot of Jaz Coleman of Killing Joke at his most raw and are delivered with great conviction. Just check out his performance on "Silent Violence", that's what I call pure raw power!

Also among the best on the album are "Phantom Self" and the instrumental "Iceberg Dances". The former is a groovy tune that has a middle-eastern sound to it played by an instrument that I can't tell if it's just a guitar or something else. "Resistant Parasites" also features a bit of middle-eastern instrumentation towards the end. "Iceberg Dances" is the best instrumental track I've heard in a while, blending a tribal groove with some unexpected influences. Most notable of these would be the organ that surprisingly fits right in, who knew organ and groove metal would sound so awesome together?

Sepultura's done it, they've made a masterpiece to rival their 80's and early 90's classics. Instead of trying to imitate their classic material, the band blended a wide range of styles and influences that ended up mixing together perfectly. If you're looking for an eclectic groove metal album, look no further than Machine Messiah. Hope you found this review helpful, feel free to comment!