LIVE: SEPULTURA with DEATH ANGEL – Perth, 20 May, 2018

Shane | 21 May 2018 | Reply

LIVE: SEPULTURA with DEATH ANGEL – Perth, 20 May, 2018
Capitol, Perth, Western Australia
Reviewed by Kevin Curran

Sepultura were back in Australia in support of their latest record Machine Messiah, bringing along with them San Fran Bay Area thrash legends Death Angel.

Apologies to opener Tempest Rising: as I had my own gig and didn’t get through the line in time to catch their set.

Death Angel graced the stage bringing a furious thrash metal assault and a thick guitar tone. Battery was what you got from these guys. Being my first time seeing Death Angel I was impressed with how tight they were. Drummer Will Carroll is an absolute demon behind the kit and keeps everything in check. Frontman Mark Osegueda got the Perth crowd behind the band with his experience and vocal ability, working them like all great frontmen do, and he just comes across as very likeable to boot. A nice 40 min set that never let up energy wise is what you got from these thrash legends, if you hadn’t heard Death Angel before, think of Joey Belladonna era Anthrax with a bit of Kreator and a touch of Dio.

The last time I saw this era of Sepultura was at the Lookout in Scarborough, possibly around 2000, so it was great to see them again with a more mature ear.

Over the years for some reason or another I kinda aligned myself in the Cavalera camp as far as the original Sepultura was concerned, having made up in my mind that Max was the brainchild behind the band. After tonight I realised that Andreas Kisser is and was the most integral part of that sound. His guitar style and tone is what makes up a lot of the sound of Sepultura. I’m definitely not discounting anyone else’s contributions to the band, but the riffs from Andreas are legendary and I found myself at the end of night having a new guitar hero.

I must say the lighting for Sepultura was really well done, dark with shades of blue, and it really enhanced the sound. Vocalist Derrick Green’s presence is impressive – the guy is an absolute beast, not just stature-wise but vocally his low growls are brutal brilliance, especially on the track Kairos.

Delving into the Max Cavalera-era of the band, Territory was brought out with the crowd coming alive to sing “war for territory” with all their lung capacity.

A good mix of Derrick Green-era and classic line-up material was played tonight. It was mind-blowing to hear from Andreas that Derrick has been in Sepultura for 20 years and what better way to celebrate that milestone by playing some material from the first Derick Green era record – Against and Choke were killer!

The current line-up of Sepultura is so monstrous in sound, the band is on a very high level and seeing other ex-members projects playing Sepultura material live doesn’t compare to what this line-up produces. Current drummer Eloy Casagrande – who by the way is only 27 years old – is an absolutely outstanding drummer and with the legendary Paulo Jr on bass the rhythm section is rock solid.

The tail end of the set was reserved for the classic material, with a blistering barrage through Refuse Resist and Arise tearing the Perth crowd to shreds. Not only is Andreas Kisser an amazing guitarist his vocal screams add a lot to the mix. This was especially the case with Ratamahatta, before tearing the Capitol an new one by finishing the night with Roots Bloody Roots.

If you are in two minds about the current incarnation of such a classic band, I thoroughly encourage you to check these guys out next time you have the chance: as far as metal bands go, they are right up there with the best I’ve witnessed. Ruthless power such as this is something you can only get live. Awesome!