Sepultura: Max Cavalera (vocals, guitar); Andreas Kisser (guitar); Paulo Jr. (bass); Igor Cavalera (drums).
Additional personnel: Kelly Shaefer, John Tardy, Scott Latour, Francis Howard (background vocals).
Reissue producer: Jeff Daniel.
Recorded at Nas Nuvens Studio, Rio De Janiero, Brazil on December 15-28, 1988. Includes liner notes by Don Kaye.
Digitally remastered by George Marino at Sterling Sound, New York, New York.
With 1989's BENEATH THE REMAINS, Sepultura began a remarkable four-album streak of bold, innovative thrash metal that is nearly unparalleled in the genre. Here the Brazilian quartet transformed from a promising death metal band into a musical force of nature, with Max Cavalera's gruff, primal vocals and potent rhythm-guitar riffs leading the way for the blistering guitar lines of Andreas Kisser and the crushing rhythms of bassist Paulo Jr. and drummer Igor Cavalera (Max's brother).
Every selection on REMAINS seethes with intensity, particularly the opening title track, which moves from a haunting acoustic-guitar passage to a fierce metallic barrage, and the record's lead single, "Inner Self," which is marked by Igor's pummeling double-bass work and Kisser's searing, technically accomplished solos. Having grown up idolizing bands like Slayer and Metallica, the young members of Sepultura were on the verge of rivaling their heroes with REMAINS. Simply put, this is one of the best--and most consistent--thrash albums ever recorded.
(Note: The 1997 remastered version of BENEATH THE REMAINS features three bonus tracks, including a cover of Os Mutantes' "A Hora E A Vez Do Cabelo Nascer.")
