ROOOOOTS
Sepultura are a band who have such a storied past you could write a book about it. With that said, it's a relatively sad situation that such a legendary name is playing one of the "smaller" venues in London, but this is just the stage at which Sepultura are at the moment, and on tonight's evidence it is clear that the energy and fury contained within a Sepultura live performance hasn't been lost over the years. Early on, front man Derrick Green acknowledged the shit they get in their current format for those unable to accept the Cavalera shaped hole in the band, and through facing it head on, "We are here, we are now, we are Sepultura!", it gained a huge response from the crowd.
The band kicked the show off with two tracks off of their new album, and where The Mediator Between Head And Hands Must Be The Heart (aaand breath), was a little lacklustre at times, live the tracks gain new life. It was encouraging seeing so much of the crowd already heavily into these new songs and singing along, something the band showed deep appreciation for. But to be expected, the real hell broke loose when they cracked out some of the old classics. Propaganda nearly incited a riot squeezed between newer tracks. There was this bizarre sense that a lot of the newer, non Cavalera era, tunes were actually acting as a breather until they kicked back in again. The band throughout sounded extremely tight with mad praise needing to go to their young drummer Eloy Casagrande in particular. His brilliantly executed level of precision and general high intensity was at times a sight to behold.
Andreas Kisser pretty much took the lead in the final five powerhouse tracks, Territory, Refuse/Resist, Arise, Ratamahatta and of course Roots Bloody Roots which turned an already energetic crowd into hurricane of bodies. Say what you will about the current Sepultura line-up, there is no denying the power as a live act. They will no doubt pop up on a festival bill in the near future, so if you get the chance definitely check them out.