Soulfly Album: “Soulfly [Germany Bonus CD]”

After Roadrunner decided to re-release Sepultura's Roots album for their 25th anniversary, I knew right off the bat, that they would re-release the Soulfly album as well, since it is considered to be Roots Part 2. I was disappointed somewhat with the Roots Re-release, seeing very little new bonus material and deciding there wasn't enough information in the booklet. I got a hold of this new edition with the aid of a gift card. If you don't have this album yet, this is the version to buy. If you already have had this album (such as myself), then you should hunt down a used copy or get it for a cheaper price than the $20 that Roadrunner is asking for.

There are 3 versions of this album available (not including the imports). The original version, the original 2 disc re-release (I have that one) and now this one. The only thing that is missing from this version is the remixes and Eye for an Eye (Live at Indigo Ranch) from the original re-release. It's no secret that Roadrunner is re-releasing these albums as a quick cash grab from the fan. This was Soulfly's best album by far, had Roadrunner chosen to re-release Primitive or the even worse 3, I wouldn't have bothered to take a glance. Honestly I feel that there are better and older records that Roadrunner needs to re-release instead. Malevolent Creation fans have been demanding for some time that Roadrunner re-releases their first three albums, but it seems that Roadrunner is taking no interest as many Soulfly, Slipknot, Trivium and Killswitch Engage fans probably haven't even heard of Malevolent Creation and it wouldn't sell as much as those, despite them being way better. Anyways, back to this record.

We have the original album as disc one, plus the song Cangaceiro and a Discharge cover (both of which previously available on the first re-release), another Discharge cover and a rough mix of Quilambo titled Blow Away that first made an appearance on their DVD. On disc two we have an entire concert. Most of these songs were previously available on the original re-release and the digipak version of Primitive. It's nice to finally have the concert in its entirety because the qualities of these songs are magnificent. Most of the unreleased live songs are Sepultura covers though they still do not top the versions found upon the Sepultura's Under A Pale Grey Sky. What is then followed is a Spoken word from Max Cavalera in 1997 where he talks about everything from his childhood to the Sepultura split to where he is just about to enter the studio to record the first Soulfly album. This is very similar to a spoken word that was on the roadrunner website where Max did the exact same thing except it was just after the release of Primitive.* Then there is a little jam at the end of the spoken word. The disc is then closed with a 4-track demo of Eye for an Eye.

The 23 page booklet is definitely superior to that of the Roots re-release (though the music is not). There are plenty of pictures found within, they discuss the recording process, the Soulfly name, the first demos, the hilarious skunk incident with short time guitarist Jackson "Lucio" Bandeira, and the meanings and ideas behind each song (something that they failed to do with the Roots re-release). It answers a lot of questions as to the recording process of this album.

The music found on this release (and every Soulfly album) is definitely inferior to most Max era Sepultura albums, however, the original re-release was one of the first albums that I bought and it ended up having an effect upon me as to what I looked for in my music. I discovered Sepultura because of this album and Sepultura has become one my favorite bands. I haven't listened to Soulfly in what seemed like a year until this was released, probably because every release got worse and worse and more religious. Yes this album is weaker than Sepultura, yes this barely has any double bass, and yes it is a little nu-metal. But it's not that bad. This album is well done, the only Soulfly album I can listen to from start to finish without pressing the skip button and one of the few good instances of Nu-Metal. The amount of guests present is not nearly as bad as later albums and according to Max in the booklet, the inclusion of Fred Durst was more of an idea of Ross Robinson than of Soulfly's.

Are there any problems found within? Throughout the booklet Max speaks of his original 4-track demos. A large paragraph discusses the original lyrics for the 4-track demo of the song No. However, the only 4-track demo we get is for Eye for an Eye. Where are the rest? Buried deep within Roadrunners Vault.

Roadrunner records didn't have to re-release this album. They could have made a 2 disc collection of the material from here, other rare songs from Max's journey with Soulfly plus the bonus songs on Imports and tributes. Basically they could have made a Soulfly version of Sepultura's Blood Rooted.

I apologize for the length of this review however I felt that I needed to say all that is to be said, so that Soulfly/Sepultura/Max fans can expect what to find on this re-release. If you already have one of the original two versions of this record, I suggest that you get a copy of this cheap and/or used because this whole 25th anniversary thing that roadrunner has going is just a cash grab from the fans. I will state that this re-release is done excellently and therefore earns five stars because of how well it's done and the music is the best that Soulfly has made. Hoped this helped.