Chaos A.D. is the fifth studio album by Brazilian heavy metal band Sepultura, released in late 1993 through Roadrunner Records. This was the record that helped the group transcend their previous death/thrash style,[1] deepening their forays into hardcore punk, industrial music and Brazilian-styled percussion. It would later become one of the founding pillars of the groove metal subgenre.[2]
It won silver and gold certifications throughout Europe and the USA, and was considered their first step into the metal mainstream.
Production
The band considered a number of producers, including avant-garde jazz composer John Zorn and Al Jourgensen of industrial metal pioneers Ministry. They settled with Andy Wallace, who had previously mixed Arise. Sepultura wanted isolation, and for that Andy Wallace suggested Rockfield Studios, located in South Wales.[3]
"Kaiowas" was recorded live among the ruins of the medieval castle of Chepstow. It was an entirely acoustic track, with Andreas Kisser and Max Cavalera on the guitars and brother-drummer Igor Cavalera and bassist Paulo Jr. handling the percussion duties. When they recorded "Kaiowas", the quartet never even considered playing the track live, because they thought it would be too difficult to recreate the drumming on stage. They changed their minds after seeing a video of the American band Neurosis: "We saw in that live video that the Neurosis guys put down their guitars and everybody started to play the drums on stage", lead guitarrist Andreas remembers. "We decided to try the same thing. We rehearsed it once and it was wonderful. We haven't stopped playing the song live since."
During Chaos A.D's sessions, Sepultura recorded a number of B-sides: "The Hunt", from New Model Army, "Policia", from Titãs, "Inhuman Nature", from the American hardcore punk band Final Conflict and "Crucificados pelo Sistema", from Brazilians Ratos de Porão. Igor was a New Model Army fan and he convinced the other band members to include "The Hunt" on the record. Paulo joked that the money of the LP would go straight to new dentures for Justin Sullivan, the toothless singer of New Model Army.[1]
Musical style
Out of the boredom of playing the Arise songs for two years straight and the threat of musically stagnating, Sepultura pushed the envelope on Chaos A.D.[4] The first track, "Refuse/Resist", revealed the band's new musical direction: slower, with more emphasis on groove than speed.[5] The song starts with the heartbeat of Max's then-unborn first son, Zyon,[6] followed by some Afro-Brazilian drumming reminiscent of Salvador, Bahia samba-reggae group Olodum.[1] About the track's introductory guitar riff, Max acknowledged that it "could have been created by a death metal band."[7]
Diversity was the key to Chaos A.D., revealed Max Cavalera. "Biotech is Godzilla" was "pure hardcore", according to the elder Cavalera.[7] "Nomad", with its characteristically slow riffs, was described Max as the answer by lead guitarrist Andreas Kisser to Metallica's "Sad But True".[8] The album also featured Sepultura's first all-acoustic incursion, "Kaiowas". "It's like a mixture of Led Zeppelin, Sonic Youth and Olodum", said Max of that particular song.[5]
Themes
The lyrics of "Refuse/Resist" mention "tanks on the streets, confronting police, bleeding the plebs."[6] The song's chorus ("Refuse! Resist!") was similar to a protest march slogan,[9] and the cover of this song's single depicted a South Korean student rushing at Seoul's riot police contingent while holding a petrol bomb.[10] The next song, "Territory", dealt with the conflict between the Palestinian and Israeli peoples.[9] "Slave New World" - with its lyrics co-written by Biohazard bassist Evan Seinfeld[8] - was a protest against censorship.[11]
Massacres were a major part of Chaos A.D.'s overall theme. "Amen" tackled with the massacre of David Koresh's followers in Waco, Texas. "Manifest" had a faux-radio report of the Carandiru massacre,[8] and "Kaiowas" was made in honor of a Brazilian Indian tribe that committed collective suicide in protest against the government that wanted to drive them off the land of their ancestors.[12] "Nomad", written by Andreas, talked about people expelled from their homelands.[8]
On Chaos A.D., Sepultura honored one of their biggest idols, Jello Biafra. Max had called Biafra asking him to contribute to the album with a song about the growing neo-Nazi movement. "I asked for something like 'Nazi Punks Fuck Off - Part 2'", Remembers Max, referring to the anti-nazi song "Nazi Punks Fuck Off" by the Dead Kennedys. But Biafra wasn't interested in recycling old ideas and he suggested a song called "Biotech is Godzilla", that he had written during his visit to Eco '92, a world conference about ecology organized in Rio de Janeiro. "Jello spent ten minutes explaining me his crazy theories", said Max to Anamaria G. of Bizz magazine, "he said that George Bush had sent a group of scientists to Brazil to test germs and bacteria on human beings and use them as guinea pigs. The lyrics claim that biotechnology created AIDS. But they don't say that technology is bad, just that it's in the wrong hands."[13]
Touring and promotion
By the time Chaos A.D. arrived, Sepultura were the biggest act of Roadrunner's roster.[14] Aware of the band's increasing popularity, the label spent nearly $1 million on a "marketing blitz" which quickly guaranteed them silver and gold records on Belgium, France and the UK.[15] The group also signed an exclusive distribution deal with a major label, Epic Records, home of Pearl Jam and Rage Against the Machine.[14] This deal eventually went sour: Epic paid little attention to Sepultura,[16] preferring to invest on Fight and Prong,[14] groups that were, in a long run, less successful than the Brazilians.[17]
The Chaos A.D. tour kickstarted on October 23, 1993 with British doomsters Paradise Lost as the opening act. The tour went well, except for an incident where Berlin's police received a false tip claiming that Sepultura's tour bus was loaded with a major cocaine shipment.[15] Enraged by the unjust search and seizure procedure, Max re-wrote "Antichrist", from their 1985 Bestial Devastation EP, as "Anti-Cop",[18] and then the band proceeded in playing the song live throughout the tour (a recorded version is available on the combined re-release of "Bestial Devastation/Morbid Vision and The Roots of Sepultura albums[19]).
While touring Europe, rumors floated around that Sepultura would be part of the latest edition of Brazil's Hollywood Rock music festival, taking place on January 1994. The event would happen simultaneously on São Paulo and in Rio de Janeiro.
Reception
- Entertainment Weekly (11/26/93, p.67) - "Sepultura will separate casual headbangers from rabid addicts fast....even nonmetalheads will be impressed by the variety in [Chaos A.D.]: they're not averse to slowing things down." - Rating: B+
- Q magazine (12/93, p.122) - "[Chaos A.D.] should mark a milestone in [Sepultura's] career...they've succeeded in capturing their live aggression with a resonance and immediacy that evaded earlier efforts."
- Melody Maker (10/23/93, p.33) - "[Chaos A.D. is a] genuine expression of outrage...Sepultura are not in the business of splatter soundtracks or documentary gore-fests—they write protest songs."
- NME (10/23/93, p.37) - "Chaos AD may be the term for the boiling point rage against state corruption and persecution, but [Sepultura] leave the sickening negativity and chronic egoism to others."
Track listing
| 1. |
"Refuse/Resist" (Max Cavalera, Sepultura) |
3:20 |
| 2. |
"Territory" (Andreas Kisser, Sepultura) |
4:47 |
| 3. |
"Slave New World" (Cavalera, Evan Seinfeld, Sepultura) |
2:55 |
| 4. |
"Amen" (Cavalera, Sepultura) |
4:27 |
| 5. |
"Kaiowas" (Sepultura) |
3:43 |
| 6. |
"Propaganda" (Cavalera, Sepultura) |
3:33 |
| 7. |
"Biotech Is Godzilla" (Jello Biafra, Sepultura) |
1:52 |
| 8. |
"Nomad" (Kisser, Sepultura) |
4:59 |
| 9. |
"We Who Are Not as Others" (Cavalera, Sepultura) |
3:42 |
| 10. |
"Manifest" (Cavalera, Sepultura) |
4:49 |
| 11. |
"The Hunt" (Justin Sullivan, Robert Heaton, New Model Army) |
3:59 |
| 12. |
"Clenched Fist" (Cavalera, Sepultura) |
4:58 |
| 13. |
"Chaos B.C." (Sepultura, Roy Mayorga) |
5:12 |
| 14. |
"Kaiowas (Tribal Jam)" (Sepultura) |
3:47 |
| 15. |
"Territory (Live)" (Cavalera, Sepultura) |
4:48 |
| 16. |
"Amen/Inner Self (Live)" (Cavalera, Kisser, Sepultura) |
8:42 |
Track 13 through 16 are bonus tracks included on the American 1996 re-release. The original release contained a hidden track (laughter outtakes from "We Who Are Not as Others") after "Clenched Fist".
Territory and Amen/Inner Self were recorded live in Minneapolis, MN in March of 1994
Singles
- "Territory" was released in 1993 with "Policia" (Titãs) and "Biotech Is Godzilla".
- "Refuse/Resist" was released in 1994 with "Crucificados Pelo Sistema" (Ratos de Porão), "Inhuman Nature" (Final Conflict), "Drug Me" (Dead Kennedys), "Dead Embryonic Cells (Live)", "Desperate Cry (Live)", "Orgasmatron (Live)" (Motörhead).
- "Slave New World" was released in 1994 with "Crucificados Pelo Sistema" (Ratos de Porão), "Drug Me" (Dead Kennedys),"Orgasmatron (Live)" (Motörhead).
Chart performance
Album - Billboard (North America)
| Year |
Chart |
Position |
| 1993 |
The Billboard 200 |
32[21] |
| 1993 |
UK Album Chart |
11[22] |
Album - Music recording sales certifications
| Year |
Country |
Award |
Number sold |
| 1994 |
Belgium |
Gold |
25,000 copies[16] |
| 1994 |
Brazil |
Gold |
100,000 copies[16] |
| 1994 |
France |
Silver |
50,000 copies[23] |
| 1994 |
Indonesia |
Gold |
25,000 copies[16] |
| 1994 |
United Kingdom |
Silver |
60,000 copies[24] |
| 1997 |
Australia |
Gold |
35,000 copies[25] |
| 2000 |
United States |
Gold |
500,000 copies[17] |
| 2002 |
United Kingdom |
Gold |
100,000 copies[24] |
| Unknown |
Netherlands |
Gold |
30,000 copies[26] |
Credits
- Recorded at Rockfield Studios, South Wales, UK (though the liner notes incorrectly state "South Wales, England")
- "Kaiowas" recorded at Chepstow Castle, Wales, UK
- Mixed at The Wool Hall Recording Studios, Bath, England
Bibliography
- Barcinski, André & Gomes, Silvio (1999). Sepultura: Toda a História. São Paulo: Ed. 34. ISBN 85-7326156-0
- Lemos, Anamaria (1993). Caos Desencanado. Bizz, 98, 40-45.
- Mudrian, Albert (2004). Choosing Death: the Improbable History of Death Metal and Grincore. Los Angeles, CA: Feral House.
- Sepultura (1993). Chaos A.D. [CD]. New York, NY: Roadrunner Records.
References
- ^ a b c Barcinski & Gomes 1999, page 131.
- ^ "FOCUS ON CHAOS OF THE CARRION KIND". Roadrunner Records. 2006-09-26. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/artists/Sepultura. Retrieved 2008-10-24.
- ^ Lemos 1993, page 42.
- ^ Barcinski & Gomes 1999, page 123.
- ^ a b Lemos 1993, page 43.
- ^ a b Cavalera, Max (1993). "Refuse/Resist", p. 2 [CD booklet]. Album notes for Chaos A.D. by Sepultura. New York, NY: Roadrunner Records.
- ^ a b Haagsma, Robert (1993). "Sepultura". Aardschok / Metal Hammer. http://sepultura.be/index.php?name=Sections&req=viewarticle&artid=24&page=1. Retrieved 2008-05-03. Archived at Sepultura.be
- ^ a b c d Barcinski & Gomes 1999, page 128.
- ^ a b Barcinski & Gomes 1999, page 126.
- ^ (1994) Album notes for Refuse/Resist by Sepultura, p. 2 [CD booklet]. New York, NY: Roadrunner Records.
- ^ Mayhew, Parris (Director).. Sepultura: Third World Chaos. [motion picture]. United States of America: Roadrunner Records.
- ^ (1993) Album notes for Chaos A.D. by Sepultura, p. 6 [CD booklet]. New York, NY: Roadrunner Records.
- ^ Barcinski & Gomes 1999, page 130.
- ^ a b c Mudrian 2004, page 189.
- ^ a b Barcinski & Gomes 1999, page 132.
- ^ a b c d Barcinski & Gomes 1999, page 143.
- ^ a b "GOLD AND PLATINUM - Searchable Database". RIAA. http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH. Retrieved 2008-04-27.
- ^ Barcinski & Gomes 1999, page 133.
- ^ Prato, Greg. "(((The Roots of Sepultura > Overview)))". allmusic.com. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:jzfexqqjldae. Retrieved 2008-10-24.
- ^ "Os 100 maiores discos da música brasileira" (in Portuguese). Umas Linhas. 2007-12-20. http://umaslinhas.blogspot.com/2007/12/os-100-maiores-discos-da-msica.html. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
- ^ "Top Music Charts - Hot 100 - Billboard 200 - Music Genre Sales". Billboard Music Charts. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/chart_display.jsp?cfi=305&cfgn=Albums&cfn=The+Billboard+200&ci=3015817&cdi=6771300&cid=11%2F06%2F1993. Retrieved 2008-04-27.
- ^ "SEPULTURA: Discography: Career Albums". MusicMight: The World's Biggest Rock Resource on the Web. http://www.musicmight.com/linkto/artist/{0503E1C1-D20F-4CB9-A57B-D159C94. Retrieved 2008-05-24.
- ^ "Les certifications Albums - Année 1994". Musique sur Disque en France (SNEP). http://www.disqueenfrance.com/certifications/album.asp?forme_certif=28&annee=9. Retrieved 2008-05-22.
- ^ a b "CERTIFIED AWARDS". THE BPI. http://www.bpi.co.uk/platinum/platinum.html. Retrieved 2008-05-03.
- ^ "ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 1997 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. http://www.aria.com.au/pages/aria-charts-accreditations-albums-1997.htm. Retrieved 2008-05-23.
- ^ "Goud/Platina Muziek". nvpi. http://www.nvpi.nl/nvpi/pagina.asp?pagkey=60463. Retrieved 2008-04-27.
