UMUR "Morbid Visions" is a full-length studio album release by Brazilian death/thrash metal act Cavalera. The album was released through Nuclear Blast in July 2023. It´s a full re-recording of Sepultura´s November 1986 debut full-length studio album "Morbid Visions" plus the new original track "Burn the Dead", which closes the album. Normally when the Cavalera brothers work together, they work under the Cavalera Conspiracy monicker (who have released four full-length studio albums before this one), but they opted to release the re-recorded version of "Morbid Visions" under the shortened Cavalera name. The Cavalera brothers also opted to re-record Sepultura´s December 1985 "Bestial Devastation" EP (or more correctly Sepultura´s part of the "Bestial Devastation / Século XX" split with Overdose). The re-recorded EP was released on the same day the the re-recorded "Morbid Visions" album.

While the re-recording of the "Bestial Devastation" EP was maybe a bit redundant as the original is almost perfect as it is, the Cavalera brothers still made a respectful re-recording and the 2023 version of the EP is well worth a listen. Personally I always found the original version of "Morbid Visions" a bit harder to appreciate than "Bestial Devastation" as the original album features a sloppy and unpleasant sounding production job, and therefore this re-recording was something I looked forward to.

The differences between the original recording and this 2023 version are many and apparent. The playing is sharper, you can make out all riffs and rhythms, and the sound production is detailed and defined. I understand many fans prefer the original and almost regard this as a blasphemous attempt to cash in on the enduring popularity of the early Sepultura releases, but to my ears the Cavalera brothers manage to keep things respectful and they´ve even opted for a raw and organic sounding production, which suits the material well. This is not a lifeless, sterile, and clean sounding production job, like one could have feared from a 2023 recording.

I think it´s audible that the Cavalera brothers had fun while they made these re-recordings, but at the same time they´ve obviously spend a lot of time researching and deciding which pedals, tones, and drum tunings they wanted to use, and once again they´ve shown their class and professionalism, but also their unending passion for their material and the legacy of their art. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.