Soulfly (album)

Soulfly
Studio album by Soulfly
Released April 21, 1998
Recorded Indigo Ranch Studios, Malibu, California
Genre Heavy metal[1] groove metal, nu metal
Length 67:54
Label Roadrunner
Producer Ross Robinson
Soulfly chronology

Soulfly
(1998)		 Tribe
(1999)
Alternative cover
Digipak Edition
Singles from Soulfly
  1. "Eye for an Eye"
    Released: February 23, 1998
  2. "Umbabarauma"
    Released: May 5, 1998
  3. "Bleed"
    Released: December 23, 1998
  4. "Tribe"
    Released: January 21, 1999
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [1]
Sputnikmusic 3.5/5[2]

Soulfly is the debut studio album by the metal band of the same name, released on April 21, 1998 through Roadrunner Records. The record was released in memory of frontman Max Cavalera's murdered stepson and the first album featuring Cavalera since leaving Sepultura two years prior. Both CDs have the message In Loving Memory Dana printed across them. The album has been certified gold by the RIAA.

Album information

The record features many guests, including members of Fear Factory, Limp Bizkit, Cypress Hill, Deftones, and Skindred.

"The Song Remains Insane" is pieced together by two other songs, opening with a cover of "Caos" by Ratos de Porão and secondly a brief reckless hardcore rendition of "Attitude" by Sepultura. "Umbabarauma" is a cover of a 1976 song by Brazilian musician Jorge Ben Jor,[3] which originally featured on his album África Brasil.

The breakdown riff in "Tribe" originated during Max's time still in Sepultura - most likely created during on-the-road demo jams during the Roots tour though evidently never recorded in any complete demo form. As such, the riff was also used by Sepultura members Andreas Kisser and Igor Cavalera as the main riff to 'Walkman' during their scoring of the movie No Coracao Dos Deuses, recorded the same year as Soulfly's 'Tribe'.

In 2008, speaking to Kerrang!, Max Cavalera remembered:

It was so hard to start over, having been in Sepultura for so long. In fact, it was harder getting Soulfly going than it was getting Sepultura started. Coming into a whole new situation underneath the shadow of Roots was a huge challenge for me, and most people thought I was nuts. Plus, we made a conscious effort not to sound like Sepultura. My choice of musicians took me away from straight metal and into a vibe that embraced a lot more, while still being heavy. Part of the magic was working with some of my all-time favourite Brazilian musicians and that really pushed me to write some great and some very different sounding music. Eye For an Eye is still my favourite, man, and I also like Tribe. That's like an anthem for all metalheads.[4]

Track listing

All lyrics written by Max Cavalera except where stated, all music composed by Max Cavalera except where stated.

Soulfly
No. TitleLyricsMusic Length
1. "Eye for an Eye" (featuring Dino Cazares and Burton C. Bell)   3:35
2. "No Hope = No Fear"     4:36
3. "Bleed" (featuring Fred Durst and DJ Lethal)Max Cavalera, Fred Durst  4:07
4. "Tribe"     6:03
5. "Bumba" (featuring Los Hooligans)   3:59
6. "First Commandment" (featuring Chino Moreno)   4:29
7. "Bumbklaatt"     3:52
8. "Soulfly"     4:49
9. "Umbabarauma" (Jorge Ben Jor cover)Jorge BenJorge Ben 4:11
10. "Quilombo" (featuring Benji Webbe and DJ Lethal)   3:44
11. "Fire"     4:21
12. "The Song Remains Insane"  Max Cavalera, D-Low, GordoMax Cavalera, Gordo, Jaba, Jao 3:40
13. "No"     4:00
14. "Prejudice" (featuring Benji Webbe)Max Cavalera, Benji Webbe  6:53
15. "Karmageddon" (containing hidden track "Sultao Das Matas")   5:44
Total length:
 1:07:54

Personnel

Soulfly
  • Max Cavalera – vocals, 4-strings guitar, berimbau on "Bleed" & "Tribe", backing vocals on "Bumba" & "Umbabarauma", sitar on "First Commandment" & "Soulfly", talk box on "No Hope = No Fear", agogô on "Fire", chains on "Prejudice"
  • Marcello D. Rapp – Bass guitar, acoustic bass on "Soulfly", double bass on "First Commandment", backing vocals on "Bumba" & "Umbabarauma"
  • Roy "Rata" Mayorga – Drums, tambora on "Eye For An Eye", backing vocals on "Bumba" & "Umbabarauma", percussion on "Soulfly", "No" & "Quilombo (Zumbi Dub Mix)"
  • Jackson Bandeira – guitar, backing vocals on "Bumba" & "Umbabarauma", zabumba on "Fire"
Additional musicians
  • Dino Cazares - guitar on "Eye For An Eye"
  • Burton C. Bell - vocals on "Eye For An Eye"
  • DJ Lethal - turntables on "Bleed" & "Quilombo"
  • Fred Durst - vocals on "Bleed"
  • Gilmar Bolla Oito - tambora on "Eye For An Eye", "Tribe", "Bumba", "Bumbklaatt", "Umbabarauma", "Quilombo" & "Prejudice", percussion on "Soulfly", backing vocals on "Bumba" & "Umbabarauma", triangle on "Fire"
  • Jorge Du Peixe - tambora on "Eye For An Eye", "Tribe", "Bumba", "Bumbklaatt", "Umbabarauma", "Quilombo" & "Prejudice", percussion on "Soulfly", backing vocals on "Bumba" & "Umbabarauma", chocalho on "Fire"
  • Benji Webbe - vocals on "Quilombo" & "Prejudice", chains on "Prejudice", backing vocals on "Bumba"
  • Chuck Johnson - backing vocals on "Bumba" & "Umbabarauma", percussion on "Soulfly" & "Karmageddon"
  • Eric Bobo - backing vocals on "Bumba" & "Umbabarauma", percussion on "Umbabarauma"
  • Los Hooligans - lead and backing vocals on "Bumba", backing vocals on "Umbabarauma"
  • Mario Caldato Jr. - backing vocals on "Bumba" & "Umbabarauma"
  • Paul Booth - backing vocals on "Bumba" & "Umbabarauma"
  • Rob Agnello - backing vocals on "Bumba"
  • Ross Robinson - backing vocals on "Bumba" & "Umbabarauma", percussion on "Soulfly"
  • Chino Moreno - vocals on "First Commandment"
  • Zyon Cavalera - "You Think You All Good" voice on "Bumbklaatt"
  • Christian Olde Wolbers - double bass on "No"
  • Chris Flam - additional programming on "Tribe (Fuck Shit Up Mix)"
  • Logan Mader – guitar on live tracks
  • Ritchie Cavalera - vocals on "Bleed (Live)"
  • Dayjah - vocals on "Soulfly (Eternal Spirit Mix)"
Production
  • Ross Robinson – production, mixing on "Soulfly", "Quilombo", "Cangaceiro", "Ain't No Feeble Bastard" & "The Possibility Of Life's Destruction"
  • Mario Caldato Jr. – co-production on "Bumba" & "Umbabarauma"
  • Andy Wallace – mixing
  • George Marino - mastering
  • Richard Kaplan - engineering
  • Chuck Johnson - engineering
  • Rob Agnello - engineering
  • Steve Sisco - Assistant mixing
  • Monte Conner – A&R, compiling 1999 reissue Bonus CD
  • Anders Dohn - production on live tracks except "Eye For An Eye (Live At Indigo Ranch)"
  • Jacob Langkilde – engineering on live tracks except "Eye For An Eye (Live At Indigo Ranch)"
  • Jan Sneum – executive production on live tracks except "Eye For An Eye (Live At Indigo Ranch)"
  • Soulfly - production on "Eye For An Eye (Live At Indigo Ranch)"
  • Roy Moyorga - remixing & additional production on "Tribe (Fuck Shit Up Mix)", mixing on "Eye For An Eye (Live At Indigo Ranch)"
  • Chris Flam - engineering on "Tribe (Fuck Shit Up Mix)"
  • The Rootsman - remixing & additional production on "Quilombo (Extreme Ragga Dub Mix)", "Quilombo (Zumbi Dub Mix)" & "Soulfly (Eternal Spirit Mix)"
  • Junkie XL - remixing & additional production on "Umbabarauma (World Cup Mix)"
  • Josh Abraham - remixing & additional production on "Tribe (Tribal Terrorism Mix)"
  • Brian Virtue - mixing on "Tribe (Tribal Terrorism Mix)"
  • Jason Corsaro - remixing & additional production on "Umbabarauma (Brasil '70 Mix)"
  • Ted Jenson - mastering 1999 reissue Bonus CD
Artwork
  • Jo Kirchherr – Cover Photo
  • Glen LaFerman & Christy Priske – Photography
  • Mike Roper & Paul Stottler – Label Design
  • Pawn Shop Press – Art Direction, Design

Charts

Chart (1998) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[5] 79

Certifications

Country Certification Sales
United States Gold[6] 500,000+

References

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Prato, Greg. "Soulfly - Soulfly". AllMusic. Retrieved November 9, 2014. Like his last release with Sepultura, the superb Roots, experimentation (Brazilian tribal drumming/rhythms, samples, unearthly sound effects, etc.) is a catalyst here on Soulfly, but gut-wrenching heavy metal is the foundation for almost all of the tracks.
  2. ↑ "Soulfly-Soulfly (album review)". Sputnikmusic. 2006-12-31.
  3. ↑ "Soulfly - Review by Goatfangs". Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives. April 15, 2012.
  4. ↑ Cavalera, Max / Beebee, Steve. Kerrang! Magazine. #1213, June 07, 2008. Treasure Chest. An Intimate Portrait Of A Life in Rock. P. 52
  5. ↑ "Soulfly Billboard Albums Chart". billboard.com.
  6. ↑ "RIAA Database Search for "Soulfly" Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved on March 2, 2014.