Soulfly's third album, the appropriately titled 3, serves up the expected collection of tribal metal fans of the group have grown so fond of since
Max Cavalera left Sepultura and began this new project. One major alteration to the
Soulfly sound is the apparent lack of guest appearances on 3. While the past two
Soulfly discs have been crammed with high profile guest musicians, 3 instead allows many to hear Soulfly the band for the very first time. Make no mistakes, they sound almost identical to all their other material, yet it should be noted they are not aided by guest vocalists to propel each song along. There are a few minor appearances, as Ill Nino's Christian Machada makes an uncredited appearance, providing his melodic vocals to "One" while Asha Rabouin (who first appeared on the song "Fly High" at the end of Primitive) appears in a larger capacity on "Tree of Pain," along with Cavalera's stepson Ritchie. Cavalera remains unchanged, as his signature voice is just as guttural and bestial as it has ever been, and lyrically many old phrases find their way into the new tracks. The band have cut back on the abundant tribal elements of their prior discs, as many of these new tracks sound much more metal and less organic. Another interesting musical aspect is the inclusion of programming randomly throughout 3, which seems to be a
Soulfly first and is worked exceptionally well on the song "Tree of Pain." The addition of "9-11-01" carries a respectable tribute, yet the minute long silence really kills the momentum of the album, and if the group felt it necessary to recognize the American tragedy they should have let it open the album. "Call to Arms" is a brief, blistering hardcore metal track that brings to mind Sepultura's "Policia" cover from Blood-Rooted. 3 delivers everything one could ask for in the traditional
Soulfly vein, yet as the band release their third album, the cracks are beginning to show. With little growth musically and virtually no outstanding growth lyrically, it seems
Soulfly have not released three albums, and instead continue adding songs to their self-titled debut. 3 satisfies, but it is evident the group are still hesitant qhwn it comes to changing the formula they have worked with for years now, and that avoidance may ultimately lead to the downfall of this solid metal band. ~ Jason D. Taylor