Cavalera Conspiracy – Psychosis (Napalm)

Tuesday, 14th November 2017
Rating: 8.5/10

If there’s a band that can pull off the ‘old is new again’ sound, it’s certainly Cavalera Conspiracy. The band that reunited Iggor and Max has always had the potential to circle back to the early Sepultura days, and Psychosis takes the band as genuinely far back as one could hope for. Fans of Beneath the Remains and Arise should find this album to be right up their alley.

It’s also safe to assume that the Cavalera brothers have done something more immediate and worthwhile than a simple mining of their past successes. Psychosis channels vintage Sepultura with glee, but there’s even some Nailbomb-esque material (the industrially-spiked “Hellfire”), eerie atmospheres (“Excrutiating”), and of course, some tribal flair (the instrumental title track). These varied sources keep the album interesting from start to finish, but truth be told, it’s the unhinged and thrash-forward aggression that leave the biggest impact. Opener “Insane” leads the charge, with frantic riffing and not a moment is given to catch your breath. “Terror Tactics” serves only to intensify the feelings from the first track, instantly diving the listener into full-headbang mode with visceral riffs that feel nothing less than destructive. It’s hard to listen to the first few tracks and not have a grin – the Cavalera brothers clearly inspired from their last touring runs with Roots and tossing all of that energy into each track on this release. Even some of the groovier moments, such as “Spectral War,” still play host to a number of breakneck riffs that are sure to get people moving. Throughout the album, brutality is law, and it’s enough to surprise even longtime Cavalera followers.

Good to see Iggor and Max doing what they do best. Psychosis is an exciting and frenetic album that successfully merges the abrasion of their previous/retro material and brings it up to speed with a more modern finish. Without question, the strongest Cavalera Conspiracy release to date, and sure to excite fans both young and old.

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