Album Review – Psychosis by Cavalera Conspiracy (Napalm Records)

Cavalera Conspiracy have released their 4th studio album. That album is called Psychosis and it was released via Napalm Records on the 17th of November.

Psychosis follows the band’s excellent 3rd album called Pandemonium. You can read our thoughts on that one here. Safe to say, we are big fans of Cavalera Conspiracy. Just like we are big fans of Max himself. The man has existed and influenced most of my life as a fan of this genre. If anything though, especially in recent times, I would probably prefer to see him dedicate more time to Cavalera Conspiracy and less to other projects. Cavalera Conspiracy have become a real force. They release consistently heavy and intriguing music and, in some ways, have edged towards sounding a little like early Sepultura. Simultaneously the current Sepultura have moved towards a more melodic style, as noticed on their excellent recent album, Machine Messiah.

So Sepultura have become something new, brilliant, but new. Cavalera Conspiracy have become almost early Sepultura. Good times. Cavalera Conspiracy are Max on vocals and guitars of course. Joining him is his brother Igor on drums. Igor is one of the greatest drummers playing today mixing tribal rhythm with blistering speed and impeccable timing. Joining Max and Igor, we have Marc Rizzo on lead guitar and Tony Campos on the bass as a touring member.

Psychosis is, to be blunt, brilliant. It is an extremely heavy album that utilises crushing riffs, pounding drums and slamming bass tones. We have already been blessed with two singles from the album, Insane and Spectral War. They are both excellent songs but become even better when listened to along with the other 7 tracks on this 41 minute long album. Psychosis doesn’t mess about with gentle intros. Instead we launch straight into the first single Insane and then Terror Tactics. Both songs play out in the extreme metal category with thrash rhythms and crunching riffs but a death metal edge with furiously roared vocals and a dark bass line.

Impalement Execution carries on the heaviness, though with a bit more groove and an even darker, eerie edge. It is thumpingly heavy and brilliantly structured bringing back memories of early Sepultura tracks like Territory. Spectral War follows and is probably the best song on a great album. The drums are insane and the crushing intro will have necks breaking as heads bang along furiously. Add in the intricate and exciting lead guitar moments on Impalement Execution and the amazing outro solo on Spectral War and this album is smashing it.

Crom starts with some creepy samples that eventually switches to a crunching, sombre tone Max roars out viciously and brief death metal verses are separated by squealing guitar lines. As the song progresses it turns into another fast and violent track with intense drum speed and a heavy riff. Perfectly placed to refresh the mind is Hellfire. Hellfire stands out on the track because it is very different. It is heavily distorted, much less extreme and perhaps even a little quirky. There is still a strong drum rhythm but it is more off beat orientated and kind of feels a bit industrial. It also features Justin Broadrick as a guest so there is more than a bit of Godflesh about it.

With our bodies given a little breather, the band ramp the aggression up to 11 on the next song, Judas Pariah. It is a vicious and relentless attack on the senses. The drums are mind-blowing and the riff just constantly pounds away at you. This song will destroy pits up all over the world. The penultimate track is the title track. Psychosis. Psychosis is an instrumental and again stays a little away from the violently aggressive instead playing a few minutes of sampled effects, interesting guitar leads and rhythmic drums. It is a decent listen and acts as a build up to the final song on the album, Excruciating.

Psychosis, the album, started with a vicious attack and ends in exactly the same way. Excruciating is the longest track on the album, at nearly 6 and a half minutes long though the last few minutes are effects, distortion and ancient tribal like sounds. Until that though it is a brutal track with more furious riffing and violent drums. It is fast and heavy and insanely infectious to listen to before it starts to gently fade out to the effects section. It is a great song to end an awesome album on.

Psychosis, the album, is near faultless. Mixing fast and furious metal with a feeling of nostalgia around the old Sepultura sound. The drums, guitars and vocals – everything is just married together to perform a ruthless assault on your body and mind. It is one of the best musical releases this year. It is also Cavalera Conspiracy’s best release so far which is saying something. The Cavalera brothers are an unstoppable force.

Psychosis is out now on all the usual streaming services. You can pick it up from Napalm Records here. You can also grab Psychosis, and more from the band, at the links below. Make sure you check out Cavalera Conspiracy at their website, on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Be sure to give them as like and a follow while you are there.

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