Ektomorf are one of those bands who stick to what they know. Back in Hungary in the mid-nineties, front man Zoltan Farkas stumbled upon a simple formula; groovy down-tuned riffs, tribal drumming, lashings of guttural aggression and the odd Nu-metal influence. Unfortunately Max Cavalera’s Soulfly got there first.
Queue 20-odd years and 9 albums worth of music many deride as some form of Cavalera worship, flattery, or plagiarism. Their latest effort, Retribution (AFM Records), does little to silence the critics, but gives the fans a well-crafted and energetic slab of what they like. Opener ‘ You Can’t Control Me’ is a pummelling slab of aggression, primal but satisfying. ‘Ten Plagues’ and ‘Who The Fuck Are You’ keep up the primal feel, tinges of 90s Machine Head and early Slipknot can be felt in amongst the mix.
Yes there’s little here that hasn’t been done already on various Sepultura, Soulfly or even previous Ektomorf albums, but the band keep the music up to a decent quality it’s rare to say that a whole album is basically free of duds. With a 45 minute run time, it doesn’t overstay its welcome. Few songs breaking the four-minute mark with every song short and straight to the point. There’s plenty of hooks and shout along moments throughout, whether it’s ‘Mass Ignorance,’ ‘Numb And Sick’ (featuring Ill Niño vocalist Cristian Machado) or the self-explanatory cover of Verbal Abuse’s ‘I Hate You,’ and even a mis-judged acoustic love song in ‘Collapsed Bridge.’
With Max taking his Tribe further into Death metal realms, Ektomorf sound more like classic Soulfly than Soulfly themselves do these days. Which is no bad thing. They’re a decent band who know what they do well and do it unapologetically time and time again. Retribution is no exception to that rule, and that’s ok.
6.5/10
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DAN SWINHOE
So this is Soulfly‘s ninth album and it’s different. It’s not like the last few records, where they were over the top fast and full of brutality. Savages (Nuclear Blast) is a lot slower, not in the sludge or doom way; but in more single kick than double bass drum heavy. This album is it’s own animal. In a good way!
Since emerging as a teenager from Belo Horizonte, Brazil in the mid-80s, Max Cavalera has been on a mission. That mission has been to make killer heavy music with no compromises or limitations. He has been an innovator and a trendsetter at every stop along the way through his projects such as founding Sepultura, Nailbomb, and now in Soulfly. Almost thirty years down the road, Max is still flying in the face of convention, mashing sub-genres, and following his own muse. With is new album Savages, a new label in Nuclear Blast, and playing a band with his son Zyon, you could say everything has come full circle for him.
A little research indicates that “Tetragrammaton” is a four-letter transliteration meaning “God” essentially. So for Dutch entity The Monolith Deathcult (TMDC from here on in) to name their latest hour of death metal destruction after such a concept must mean the content within spreads it influence over all creation. While perhaps not as omnipotent as “god”, Tetragrammaton is worthy of a certain degree of reverence.