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Album: Quadra
Label: Nuclear Blast
Release date: 7th February 2020
Rating: 10/10
Quadra is easily the most complete and well-rounded album ever released under the Sepultura name and it has everything you would expect from these grizzled veterans, from technical lead guitars and "tribal" drums to guttural roars and crushingly heavy riffs, but at the same time it is the sound of an ever-evolving band taking yet another huge evolutionary leap forward in terms of experimentation. On the first three tracks, in-your-face, full-on Thrash is the order of the day, before the tribal drums, strings and choral vocals are thrown into the mix and that's when things get really interesting. Andreas and Paulo are, of course, ever reliable, but it's Derrick's career-best vocal performance and the colossal drumming of "new boy" Eloy, along with the flawless Jens Bogren production work, that really elevate things to another level.
Quadra easily stands up alongside any of the band's "classic" albums and that this is the sound of a band celebrating 36 years of existence is nothing short of incredible. Sepultura have been on a creative roll since Kairos and have produced some of the best material of their career in the last 10 years, but even in the context of such consistently solid output, Quadra stands out. Sepultura have never sounded more vital or more inspired. They may not have the huge fanbase they once had, but when the music is this good, who cares. You can keep your nostalgia, I'll take the 2020 incarnation of the band any day of the week.
I know it sounds trite, but I genuinely can't find anything to fault Quadra on, and it seems to get better with each consecutive play, so it gets the rare, full 10/10 from me.
Standout tracks: Means to an End, Capital Enslavement and Autem.
https://open.spotify.com/track/7IhrZIRIAlSMLJwO35dDQc?si=9Hqc6ygSRLG4vngPMpGOSg
Wow! High praise indeed, coming from you. I'll definitely give it a good listen. X
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