Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Isolation has its privileges, you are kept away from the distractions that plague the creative mind, you open yourself up to new ideas that float in the breeze like a butterfly caught in an updraft and you can see the world as if it is one you have carved out of stone. However, it is also one that has its own pitfalls, its own issues of separation, of quarantine from the masses and the ones who care about you and in the end becomes a fine line between existing and the power you have absorbed by being yourself.
No one can accuse Brazil’s Sepultura of merely existing, no matter the incarnation or membership of the band, they have dug deep into the genre’s subconscious and delivered the imagery of dangerous beauty to their albums and songs over the decades, and as they prepare to unleash their latest album, Quadra, in February next year, Isolation proves to be another example of the strive for the ultimate sound that digs itself out of the darkness of the grave and which flourishes under the intense light afforded it as it plays out, infecting others with its powerful bass and unrivalled, seamless drive.
You can either surrender to the isolation and lose touch with reality, or you can find a way to let it guide you, to let it become the touchstone of how you wish to conquer your fears and bring others into the world of truth, lightness outside of the man-made grave. Isolation powers through that discourse, through the memory of what has been, and makes it stronger. For some isolation is a form of punishment, in others it is the moment when they see with clarity what needs to be done to rebuild, to make their seclusion count towards something spectacular, and for Sepultura that sense of presence of unwavering mind is once more apparent, once more ready to explode.
Isolation is a track that leaves the fan wanting more, not just to dig through the past and enjoy the memory, but to find a way to bring a new audience into the fold. A case for one of the highs of the genre of the year, brought back out of remoteness and into the open arms of inclusion.
Ian D. HallÂ