The venerable
Max Cavalera unfurls another diverse sonic tapestry with
Soulfly's fourth album -- and where the former
Sepultura man of ideas floundered a bit with
Primitive and 3,
Prophecy simultaneously returns to his roots (pun intended) while successfully integrating the myriad of organic influences that resulted in his being tagged the "
Bob Marley of metal." That being said,
Prophecy's first five cuts come armed with stone-carved riffs that are ragged, sharp, and fresh from the grinding wheel, and hulking steamroller rhythms, until "Mars," halfway through, deviates into a placid oasis-jam of Caribbean percussion, organs, and nylon-string mariachi guitar. "I Believe" and "Moses" are perhaps
Cavalera's most powerful and spiritual endeavors to date, the former a heartfelt, unpretentious excursion into melody and spoken word expression, and the latter being a fascinatingly meandering, reggae-inflected jam with Serbian group Eyesburn. While the biggest criticism leveled at
Soulfly on albums past was their lack of continuity,
Prophecy isn't a hodgepodge of unusual instrumentation and guest stars (although former
Megadeth bassist
Dave Ellefson plays on a few tracks with minimal distraction), hardcore screeds such as "Porrada," "Born Again Anarchist," and "Defeat U" meshing coherently with
Cavalera's ever-present ear for experimentation, usually integrated in segues between songs. It all makes for an equally inspired and inspiring dozen tracks featuring some of
Cavalera's best straightforward metal, possibly since
Sepultura's
Roots ("Execution Style" is particularly riveting and visceral, as is a cover of
Helmet's seminal "In the Meantime"). Now that
Soulfly is essentially
Cavalera's guitar, voice, and songs plus a revolving door of musicians, the often-spectacular
Prophecy finds him coalescing nicely as a solo artist, and solidifying the truth behind the initially superficial
Bob Marley comparison. ~ John Serba