Prophecy (album)

Infobox Album | Name = Prophecy
Type = Album
Artist = Soulfly


Released = March 30, 2004
Recorded = Fall 2003 at The Saltmine Studio Oasis in Mesa, Arizona
Genre = Thrash metal
Groove metal
Length = 55:40
Label = Roadrunner Records
Producer = Max Cavalera
Reviews = *Allmusic rating|4|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=Ag963tr5tkl3x link]
*ARTISTdirect rating|4|5 [http://store.artistdirect.com/store/artist/album/0,,2857062,00.html link]
*Metal Reviews 75 / 100 [http://www.metalreviews.com/reviews/detail.php3?id=2108 link]
*MetalReview.com Favorable [http://www.metalreview.com/ViewReview.aspx?ID=862 link]
*Blabbermouth.net rating|7|10 [http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/showreview.aspx?reviewID=169 link]
Last album = "3" (2002)
This album = "Prophecy" (2004)
Next album = "Dark Ages" (2005)
Misc = Extra album cover 2
Upper caption = Alternate Cover
Type = studio


Lower caption = Re-issued Digipak cover

"Prophecy" is the fourth studio album by the metal band Soulfly and it was released in 2004.

This album is noteworthy for three features — the completely different lineup for the album apart from leader Max Cavalera, the world music influence from a stint that Cavalera spent in Serbia and explicit Spirituality themes on the album. The album has gone on to sell over 275,000 copies.

New lineup

Cavalera recruited a whole new lineup for the "Prophecy" album. Joe Nunez was back behind the drumkit having worked on the "Primitive" album with Marc Rizzo formerly of Ill Niño on guitar. There are two bassists playing as members of Soulfly on "Prophecy" - David Ellefson formerly of Megadeth and Bobby Burns of Primer 55. Cavalera took this decision to have a mixture of old school metal and death metal on the album.

Max Cavalera explains on the bands website that he wants to use different musicians as part of the group for each album. "This is an approach that I've wanted to do for a while. I never wanted Soulfly to be a band like Metallica, with the same four guys. On every Soulfly album, we've changed the line up and it will probably continue that way. In order to do that, I had to start from the inside out and bring in people who caught my attention, that I had never played with before, and create this."

World music influences

In Sepultura, Cavelera had shown an interest in world music as shown on the 1996 "Roots" album featuring elements of the music of Brazil's indigenous peoples. This approach continues on the "Prophecy" album with Cavalera travelling to Serbia to record with traditional musicians. On the track "Moses", an explicit statement of his religious beliefs he works with Serbian band Eyesburn featuring reggae influences from Bob Marley. Cavalera has in fact been described as the Bob Marley of metal and "Exodus" was one of Marley's definitive records. Other tracks on the album feature instruments from the Middle Ages, sheepskin bagpipes and Serbian Gypsies.

pirituality influences

On the band's website, Max Cavelera said that he founded the band "with the idea of combined sounds and spiritual beliefs." The Prophecy album contains the clearest statement of his beliefs with "I Believe" containing a spoken part in the middle where Cavelera expresses his faith. "Moses" is the next track on the record.

Reception

*CMJ (3/22/04, p.18) - " [T] he tracks on Prophecy have worldly textures and a distinct vibe that furthers Soulfly's status as a fluid musical tribe."

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Cavalera except "Defeat U" (Cavalera, Marianino), "Moses" (Cavalera, Eyesburn, Kojić) and "In the Meantime" (Hamilton) which is originally written and performed by Helmet on their 1992 album "Meantime".

#"Prophecy" – 3:35
#"Living Sacrifice" – 5:03
#"Execution Style" – 2:18
#"Defeat U" (with Danny Marianino) – 2:10
#"Mars" – 5:25
#"I Believe" (with Asha Rabouin) – 5:53
#"Moses" (performed by Max Cavalera and Eyesburn) – 7:39
#"Born Again Anarchist" – 3:43
#"Porrada" – 4:07
#"In the Meantime" (Helmet Cover) – 4:45
#"Soulfly IV" – 6:04
#"Wings" (with Asha Rabouin) – 5:05

European version contains live bonus tracks recorded live at the Hultsfred Festival in Sweden on June 15, 2001:
#"Back To The Primitive" – 4:09
#"No Hope = No Fear" – 4:22
#"Spit" – 2:31
#"Jumpdafuckup/Bring It" – 4:26
#"The Song Remains Insane" – 2:19
#"Roots Bloody Roots" – 3:57

Personnel

*Max Cavalera – Vocals, Guitar, Sitar, Berimbau, Producer
*Marc Rizzo – Guitar, Flamenco Guitar
*Bobby Burns – Bass
*Joe Nunez – Drums, Percussion
*Gloria Cavalera – Executive Producer
*Monte Conner – A&R
*Terry Date – Mixing
*David Ellefson – Bass, appears on tracks 1, 4, 5, 6, and 10
*John Watkinson Gray – Keyboards, Engineer, Sampling, Editing
*Ted Jensen – Mastering
*Ljubomir Dimtrijević appears on various instruments on tracks 3, 8, and 11
*Meia Noite appears on Percussion on various tracks

Chart positions

Album - Billboard (North America)