Review by Richard Henry for MPM
Well here we are on a sunny night in Belfast, the brothers have rolled into town, now I have never actually saw Max before, I did see Iggor back in 2003 with Sepultura so I am really excited to see, in their words, the real Sepultura!
Beastial Devastation
First song of the night and bathed in the red light, the lights go down and the TV screens are showing the Cavelera name, you forget how quick some of these early songs are, the bands explode into stage and it is just high intensity from the off, something that never lets off for the whole gig!
Antichrist
Blast beats, yeah there is and I had completely forgot about that, then a really cool d beat section, the crowd hasn’t really woken up at this point and I wonder how much of that is due to them not knowing older material, everyone does get in to sing the chorus line back at the guts, really slow almost Celtic Frost section before the speed is back in again!
Necromancer
A real slow grind start to this one then boom it kicks in, you can really hear what a lot of grind core bands would end up doing from a song like this and I was sitting during the gig thinking about how much these guys early stuff definitely influenced so many bands, it’s just non stop fast and brutal to the points tracks!
Warriors of Death
Drums to start this one before a really fast choppy riff kicks in, some lovely drum work following the riff as well, bit of movement behind is in pit, the place is absolutely rammed as well tonight which is great to see, this one ends the first section and it’s been like stuck inside a washing machine on spin, you have taken a real sonic battering, I love it!!!
Sexta Feira 13
We have this classic theme playing to transition us to the next stage of the set!
That’s the first set which is the the Beastial Devastation ep, now to Morbid Visions
Morbid Visions
Straight in with the battering, it’s just non stop and again this one is just all out intense thrash, the riffs are awesome though and it’s only now I noticed Max is actually playing a 6 string guitar tonight, there are a dizzying number of tempo changes in this one, barnstormer!
Mayhem
Two cymbal chokes and we are in, interesting hearing Max doing all the high screams that are on the original as well, when it goes to the half time breakdown there is a free souls starting a bit of a circle pit, then bang right back into top gear again, it’s just non stop!
Crucifixion
This one almost reminds me of Slayer at the start, then it comes in full pelt, Igorr is getting a serious workout back there and he isn’t hitting light either, now we do get an odd sort of ethereal section with all the lights down and all sorts of guitar noises with just the lights of the screens on both sides, really cool, also I don’t know how many people noticed but there was a dedication to the brothers mother on the screen with dates on it as well!
Show me the Wrath
Slow riff at the start of this one and a bit of a reprieve tempo wise which is support of nice but then the drums kick in and the fast riff comes slamming in again! There is a really cool riff that comes in just before the solo and it’s a really trem picked part before the tempo changes again, you really do forget how many parts these songs actually had!
Funeral Rites
Now the start of this one nearly sounds like Troops of Doom in a way? Took me hearing it again tonight to think of it, then another trem picked riff hits in and the tempo is back to full tilt again, some really nice drum work in there, love that middle almost gallop part in there as well, another banger of a track!
Empire of the Damned
Lots of bar dives and squeals at the start of this one before it kicks in again, it’s been absolutely unrelenting all night so far, the only break and I say that loosely is the middle section which is still heavy, but it’s a sweat box in here, also the bouncers where excellent in here tonight, passing out water and checking in people, just wanted to mention that, cracking solo as the tempo kicks back up, and there were are, that’s the second act as it is!
Then we hit the third part of the night Schizophrenia!
Inquisition Symphony
As soon as you hear that acoustic intro you know what it is, I thought it was just going to be the intro itself so I was really surprised and pleased when they started actually getting into the song and playing it, it’s a cut I never thought I would hear live so awesome to actually hear this one!
Escape to the Void
Hear it comes, from the guitar leads at the start to all the tempo changes this is an absolute banter of a track, the crowd certainly heat up during this with Max wanting a circle out to happen, well he gets his wish with the guys going at it behind me, the power you can feel from the drums acoustically in the front row is nuts, what a track!
From the Past comes the Storm
That fast picked riff and then the drums come slamming in, pure thrash fest of a track, it’s just unrelenting, then when it goes half time it gets really heavy, what an end to the Schizophrenia set!!
Then they are off and it’s encore time!!
Refuse/Resist-Territory
That’s a one two punch right there, everyone in the place knows this one, which doesn’t surprise me, I love the transition when you get to the middle part of Refuse then that drum part from Territory comes in and it’s just crushing, the crowd getting right into it and singing the chorus refrain back to the guys on the stage!
Troops of Doom
In Max’s words, old school, and in we go with the last song of the night, and if there was ever a staple of these guys set it’s is this, not the version you are maybe used to but it’s absolutely as brutal and savage as it has ever sounded, the energy from the stage is the same from the first note to the last night tonight, absolutely savage set!
I loved that tonight, for me I got into the guys right before Arise so I had gone back and listened to the albums before and hearing them played tonight was just a joyous thing to behold, there are still dates left in the UK and if you can, get yourself to a show!!!!
Photography by Darren McVeigh for MPM
