In Hindsight (Sepultura)

I remember getting my grubby teenage mitts on "Arise" in 1991.  I was 14 and was so new and naive to the brutal sound of the Brazilian's particular brand of thrash metal I genuinely believed it to be the best album they made and spent years ignoring anything that had gone before.  Then came "Chaos AD" which I liked for about five minutes before I sold the CD for beer money.  In the space of two years I had fallen in love with and out of love with a band on the basis of two records and being offered "Roots" three years later was hardly the reconciliation I'd hoped for either.

The fact is though that growing up has a certain charm when it comes to music and learning to understand the concept and importance of a discography is a key part of any music lovers maturity. For this reason I remember with equal clarity my discovery of two of the most important thrash records in my collection, both of them unheard by my young and frankly at times stupid ears! "Schizophrenia" and "Beneath The Remains" two real benchmarks in the Seps back catalogue.  The progression from the raw and at times cumbersome death/thrash of the former, to the more sophisticated yet still energetic and riff chunky latter of the two albums is largely credited to Scott Burns' expert production.  I think also though the improvement and maturity of the band should get noted just as much as Scott's knob-twiddling skills.

Although some find "Beneath The Remains" more mainstream, few dislike it as a result.  There's a question mark for me over whether it was anymore mainstream, or was it simply that bit more accessible in comparison to "Schizophrenia"? The fact is that in itself "Schizophrenia" is a superb record (albeit far from perfect) and a big improvement on the debut full length "Morbid Visions".


It took an established format of beastial foundations and built elements of calculated menace into the structure with its opening slasher flick synth stabs leading into that roar from Max before Igor and co took us off on that frantic and frenetic journey.  Pacey thrash with death metal sonics and gruff vocals where what "Schizophrenia" was all about.

Jog on two years and enter "Beneath The Remains". Album number three saw the Seps building on their burgeoning talent whilst refining it a little at the same time.  Even the band logo got a rework, the previous blade edges of the first and last letters (along with the rest of the thorny font) were replaced for a more balanced and slightly less "drawn in a school book" look.  I actually liked the old logo but the artwork took on a more in depth look also and I think the logo complimented that.


Whereas it's predecessor was clunky at times in terms of delivery, "Beneath The Remains" flowed a lot better without ever feeling mechanised or at any point sluggish in comparison.  They simply took the building blocks from the previous outing and worked up from there; still leaving the listener with the sense that this was the product of a band still full of youthful angst and energy with subtle hints that this time around things were that bit more solid structure wise.

So, this "In Hindsight" post is dedicated to two of my favourite thrash albums and I don't mind admitting what a great time has been had this weekend revisiting these two records that dropped at the back of the eighties when thrash was already on the ropes.  What you have here are two uppercuts landed perfectly to show that although the genre's legs might be wobbly there was still some spunk and vitality left to sock it to the man.

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