Guitar Legend - The RCA Years (Remastered)

The early Sepultura albums found Max Cavalera cribbing together words he'd copied from albums by Celtic Frost and Venom. Though it initially seemed like there was no cultural inheritance for a group of metal-obsessed Brazilians, Roots disproved that notion. Sepultura’s 1996 release was heavily influenced by the time the members had spent with the indigenous Xavante people at their ancestral home in eastern Brazil. While “Itsári” was actually recorded with the Xavante, the Brazilian influence is also felt on “Ratamahatta,” “Endangered Species," and “Dictatorshit,” all of which feature the playing and co-writing of Brazilian star Carlinhos Brown. Mike Patton (of Faith No More) and Jonathan Davis (of Korn) provided lyrics and vocals on “Lookaway,” proving that Sepultura could celebrate the current forms of metal even as it invoked ancient traditions. On the surface, Roots has much in common with the glut of nü-metal albums that appeared in the mid- to late '90s, but it displays a philosophical sophistication and hard-earned authenticity that's rare in the field.