SEPULTURA – Arise (Expanded Edition)

August 7, 2018, 5 years ago

(Roadrunner)

Nick Balazs

Rating: 9.5

review heavy metal sepultura rarities

SEPULTURA – Arise (Expanded Edition)

The impact of Sepultura’s Arise can never be overstated and this fact is not lost on Roadrunner Records; who have just released this special two-disc version (plus vinyl) of the album with a boatload of bonus material.

Any respectable metalhead is aware of the greatness of Arise, presented with a new 2018 remaster, but the difference in sound isn’t really noticeable from the first time the album was remastered (1998). With that said, there is sharp crispness to the sound so no complaints there.

The interest lies within the bonus tracks, most which have never been released before. Disc 1 holds the full Arise album before seguing into the extra tracks, beginning with the cover of the Motörhead classic “Orgasmatron” (Max Cavalera was plastered during the recording), an unused intro Arise album, “C.I.U (Criminals In Uniform)”, the Scott Burns mix of “Desperate Cry” (the whole album was first mixed by Burns, who produced the album, but the mixing was ultimately turned over to Andy Wallace) and a Dead Kennedy’s cover of “Drug Me”. These first batch of tracks are best extras from the first disc as it’s rounded out by a rough mix and an weird, industrial mix of “Dead Embryonic Cells”, and then the very raw, demo stage of the band working through “For Our Own Good (C.U.I.)”, “Murder”, and “Altered State”, which make for an interesting listen two or three times.

The second disc features 18 tracks worth of gold to mine through and the crown jewel are the live tracks from Under Siege: Live In Barcelona 1991 (previously only available on VHS). Eight crushing songs in front of a rabid crowd with the band in their prime. The energy is dripping with the thrashing madness of “Troops Of Doom”, “Mass Hypnosis” and “Beneath The Remains”. It’s a capsule in time capturing Sepultura on the verge of superstardom.

Other material from the second disc features the raw, demo form of “Under Siege (Regnum Irae)”, “Meaningless Movements”, and “Infected Voice”, which again are attention grabbing for a couple listens. Then there are basic tracks of seven of the album’s tracks, which are basically straight up instrumental versions of the songs, minus any acoustic breaks, so for example where the acoustic guitar comes in for “Desperate Cry”, there is just the drums going during that period.

Newer fans should be encouraged to pick this one and older fans should be intrigued to as the added live concert should be reason enough to seek this new reissue (especially on vinyl). Arise is an all-time classic and it’s a reminder of the greatness that these Brazilians once possessed.



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