SPV/Steamhammer has issued the following update on SEPULTURA's upcoming album A-Lex, out in Germany on January 23rd, in Europe on January 26th, and in the US/Canada on January 27th:

Sepultura from Brazil are a prime example of an intelligent thrash metal act whose powerful compositions continue to tackle exciting and ingenious subjects. 1996 saw the band devote their landmark release, Roots, to the fate of the Xavante Indians on the border of Brazil and Bolivia; in spring 2006 the musicians put to music an opus by the Italian poet and philosopher, Dante Alighieri, on their album, Dante XXI. Now this concept has reached a new climax: on their latest release, A-Lex, guitarist Andreas Kisser and his three colleagues, Derrick Green (vocals), Paulo Jr. (bass) and new addition Jean Dollabella (drums), have dedicated themselves to Anthony Burgess’s book ‘A Clockwork Orange’, creating an awesome thrash metal opus around this timeless and exciting subject. A-Lex will be available on Steamhammer/SPV in Germany on January 23rd, in Europe on January 26th, and in the US/Canada on January 27th, and certainly has what it takes to shake up the foundations of the metal scene: few other albums from this genre sound as ambitioned or impressive.

“A lot of people know Stanley Kubrick’s film, ‘A Clockwork Orange’, which is a movie classic, but few realise that the last chapter of the book is missing from the film. And that’s what in my opinion is extremely important for the message that Anthony Burgess wanted to convey: it’s your own free will, your own free choice, in which environment you choose to move,” band mastermind Andreas Kisser explains his interpretation of this historic publication.

“Following his stay in hospital, Alex, the book’s main character, returns to society, meets old friends, finds a wife and starts a family. He makes this choice of his own will, irrespective of what the government had in mind for him. “An interesting aspect which Sepultura underline with their typical hard-as-nails thrash metal compositions on A-Lex (an album title with a double meaning: in Russian, “A-Lex” means something like “lawless”). The recording is divided into four chapters, the first three of which cover the familiar plot from the movie, while chapter four reflects the final part of the story from the book. “Every chapter, from ‘Alex I’ to ‘Alex IV’, starts with a brief introduction which allows the listener to follow the story at all times,” Kisser explains.

Along with Sepultura’s familiar raw metal tunes, which are omnipresent on the one-hour recording, they have authentically translated Alex’s affinity with Ludwig van Beethoven: supported by classical symphonic musicians from Sao Paulo, the track ‘Ludwig Van’ picks up Beethoven’s 9th Symphony and transposes it into a heavy metal context. This number is a definite must, and it would be impossible to optimise this combination of classical music and savage thrash metal.

The material was produced by Sepultura and Stanley Soares at the Trama Studios in Sao Paulo and mastered by George Marino at New York’s Sterling Sound studios. A-Lex is the first Sepultura album to feature new drummer Jean Dolabella, who joined the fold during the Dante XXI tour.

“We’ve known Jean for more than three years, he’s from our hometown of Belo Horizonte and joined us when Roy Mayorga left to team up with Stone Sour,” Kisser introduces his new drummer. “He’s ten years younger than the other band members and has brought a new approach into the band. Jean has an amazing amount of energy and motivation. We’re very happy to have him with us, and we’re proud of the positive impact he’s had on the material on A-Lex.”

With Dolabella as Sepultura’s driving force and more outstanding guitar work courtesy of Andreas Kisser, A-Lex proves to be a dynamic and extremely haunting metal opus which was written in just three months and created more or less on the basis of extended studio jams. The listener feels this spontaneity and vibrancy in every single note.

A-Lex will be available in three versions: in a deluxe Digipak with an embossed cover, in a regular jewel case and on a vinyl gatefold LP.

Album trailers below...