What happens when SEPULTURA come to town? You go see them! Unless, of course, you are one those stuck up know-it-all musical gurus that share their wisdom with the world via the comments section on Blabbermouth. We’re not into that, but we’re definitely into crushing heavy metal riffs, which is why we were in the audience at the recent SEPULTURA show in Helsinki’s Virgin Oil Co. on March 22nd, 2012. Check out the photo gallery here.
There’s a continuous debate going on regarding the sensitive matter of “old” SEPULTURA vs. “new” SEPULTURA, so we thought it would be a good idea to ponder this while watching the show; we’ll come to the conclusion at the end of this review. Now back to the show.
When the first notes played, the crowd went bananas, jumping, moshing, and all the usual fun. And how could you not? Once Andreas Kisser appeared on stage, it was a trip down the memory lane for many people present this evening, for whom SEPULTURA was one of the leading forces as they made or are still making their first steps through the metal gates.
The audience was presented with a set that went through the milestones of SEPULTURA’s catalogue (“Arise,” “Chaos A.D.,” “Roots,” etc.) and it was a special treat to have “Refuse/Resist” as one of the opening songs. Some of the material from the band’s latest effort “Kairos,” such as “Kairos,” “Relentless,” “Mask,” and “Dialog,” blended in perfectly with the old classics – proof that there is no such terrible difference between the end products of the “old” and “new” SEPULTURA.
Naturally, Andreas, being his charismatic and energetic self, was getting the majority of the attention from the crowd, with hands stretched towards him most of the time. However, it is noteworthy to say that Derrick Green fulfilled his frontman position up to 110%: his vocals are a great fit for the “old” SEPULTURA songs and he kept up the dynamics of the performance, giving the crowd very little time to catch their breath. Maybe less gym attire next time though? The newest addition to the band’s line-up, Eloy Casagrande, has to be a new drum prodigy. His extremely powerful and highly professional performance, mixed with his young age, left everyone in awe – this guy sure knows how to beat the hell out of a drum kit.
Even though the situation couldn’t have been more appropriate, crowd surfing wasn’t allowed and one unlucky fellow was promptly thrown off the stage. This minor downside still didn’t prevent anybody from having a good time and there were certainly some mighty sore necks the next day. The encore was the cherry on top of the cake: “Ratamahatta” and, of course, “Roots Bloody Roots” – an over-the-top culmination to an amazing evening.
So what about the “old” SEPULTURA vs. the “new” SEPULTURA, you ask? Well, we’ve come to a conclusion that it’s simply a natural development of things. An evolution, if you please. Yes, it is definitely not the same SEPULTURA as it was, with only two members left from its golden line-up. But is it a completely different band that should have another name, so that no moron on the internet could call it a “cover band” or shrug it off as unworthy of their attention just because the Cavalera brothers are no longer there? Absolutely not. It is still SEPULTURA: a band that has undergone certain changes and a natural development process, just like anything on this planet. Are you still the same person you were a decade ago? Maybe you are mentally, but if so, you’re probably one of those Blabbermouth gurus. Deny it as much as you want, you know you are not the same as you were. It still is SEPULTURA, it still sounds like SEPULTURA, even with different vocals, and it still has the same drive as SEPULTURA.
Case closed, class dismissed.
Setlist:
Intro – Arise
1. Dark Wood of Error
2. Refuse/Resist
3. Kairos
4. Relentless
5. Dead Embryonic Cells
6. Convicted in Life
7. Dialog
8. Attitude
9. Choke
10. Mask
11. Septic Schizo/Escape to the Void
12. Sepulnation
13. Subtraction
14. Just One Fix (Ministry cover)
15. Territory
16. Inner Self
17. Arise
Encore:
18. Ratamahatta
19. Roots Bloody Roots
Written by Tanja Caciur
Photos by Jana Blomqvist
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