The first true greatest-hits album to cherry-pick highlights from the band's back catalog, The Best of Sepultura was compiled as well as it could have been as part of Roadrunner Records' 2006 series of best-ofs (also including Fear Factory, Type O Negative, and others). The underlying issue is that Sepultura's four major albums -- Beneath the Remains (1989), Arise (1991), Chaos A.D. (1993), and Roots (1997) -- are so stellar, they deserve to be heard in full, not piecemeal like this. However, for those consumers not inclined to go out and buy four individual CDs (each of which does have its own unique characteristics, it should be noted), a single-disc sampler like The Best of Sepultura certainly fits the bill. It includes two songs from Beneath the Remains ("Beneath the Remains," "Inner Self"), three from Arise ("Arise," "Dead Embryonic Cells," "Desperate Cry"), four from Chaos A.D. ("Refuse/Resist," "Territory," "Slave New World," "Biotech Is Godzilla"), and three from Roots ("Roots Bloody Roots," "Attitude," "Ratamahatta") -- indeed, the highlights from each. Plus, there's one choice song from the early (and seldom-heard) album Schizophrenia (1987), "Troops of Doom," and thankfully, no songs whatsoever from the post-Max Cavalera lineup of the band. All the songs are sequenced chronologically, as they should be, and there's not a bum one to be heard throughout. If you're already a Sepultura fan, you likely won't have any need for The Best of Sepultura. You'll want (or already have) each of the four major albums in their entirety, or at least some of them. But if you're new to the band, or not sure if you're all that fond of these guys, The Best of Sepultura is a good place to begin exploring. Just don't be surprised if you end up buying each of the albums afterward, once you get a sample of them. In fact, there's a valid case to be made that you should just go out and buy Chaos A.D. instead of this compilation, since it's the most representative, or maybe Arise, which was the mainstream breakthrough, or Beneath the Remains, which is a thrash classic and underground favorite, or perhaps even Roots, which is also excellent, if more experimental and Brazilian in nature. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
The Best of Sepultura is a compilation album from Roadrunner Records, featuring a best of collection of Sepultura's music with the label (as such, material from Revolusongs, Roorback, Live in São Paulo, and Dante XXI are not included). Although the track-listing from 'Inner Self' onwards is essentially a collection of all of the band's singles, in its representation of Arise the compilation substites 'Under Siege (Regnum Irae)' for non-single 'Desperate Cry'. The record was released without Sepultura's involvement (they are currently signed to SPV Records) and is not officially recognized by Sepultura themselves. The Roadrunner-released studio albums Morbid Visions, Against and Nation, the debut EP Bestial Devastation as well as the rarities & live albums Blood Rooted, The Roots of Sepultura and Under a Pale Grey Sky are not represented on the record.
