Roots
Sepultura
1996
Rankings
Why This Album Matters
Roots is Sepultura's sixth studio album, released in 1996, and represents a crucial milestone in the band's trajectory and in global heavy metal. Continuing the sonic exploration begun on Chaos A.D., this work deepens the fusion of extreme metal with influences from Brazilian music, standing out for its prominent use of tribal percussion. The album's sound also incorporates elements of the then-emerging nu metal, evidenced by low-tuned guitars and rhythmic, syncopated riffs, moving away from the industrial nuances of its predecessor. The album is a work of great rhythmic and cultural complexity, characterised by the participation of various musicians and the recording of some tracks in an immersive context with a Xavante tribe. This approach not only enriched the musical texture but also lent the work a rare authenticity and depth. Roots is widely recognised for its experimental boldness and its ability to integrate Brazilian indigenous traditions into the world of metal. In addition to its sonic innovation, Roots marks the last participation of original vocalist and guitarist, Max Cavalera, with the group, lending it additional historical weight in Sepultura's discography.
A watershed moment for the genre and the band's career, Roots was one of the greatest thrash albums of the 1990s.
Leonardo Dias Pereira · Rolling Stone Brasil
Context
On the previous album, Chaos A.D., Sepultura had already flirted with incorporating elements of indigenous music, notably on the track "Kaiowas". The idea of deepening this collaboration with an indigenous people gained momentum, driven by the inspiration of vocalist and guitarist Max Cavalera after watching the film Brincando nos Campos do Senhor. After securing the support of the Roadrunner Records label, Max began discussions with journalist Angela Pappiani, from the Indigenous Culture Centre. Although the initial intention was to work with the Caiapós, the band opted for the Xavantes after hearing their music at a festival in New York, a process that took almost a year from the initial approach to the actual visit. In November 1995, the band, accompanied by producer Ross Robinson, travelled to the Camarana region in Mato Grosso, where they spent three days immersed in Xavante culture, participating in rituals, painting their bodies, sharing meals and river baths. This immersion resulted in the recording of the track "Itsári", whose title, like that of the album, means "roots", and was captured with an eight-channel recorder powered by truck batteries due to the absence of electricity at the location.
Recording
Roots' production featured the expertise of Ross Robinson, known for his work with nu metal bands, and Sepultura's own co-production. The mixing was carried out by Andy Wallace. The album is notable for its innovative recording approach, especially on the track "Itsári", which was captured directly within the Xavante tribe in Mato Grosso. The indigenous performance was recorded using an eight-channel recorder, powered by truck batteries, in an area without access to electricity. In addition to the band, various musicians contributed to the album's sonic richness. Carlinhos Brown participated with vocals, berimbau, timbau, wood drums, djembe and shaker on "Ratamahatta", where David Silveria, from Korn, also played drums. On "Lookaway", the track featured collaborations from Jonathan Davis, of Korn, and Mike Patton, of Faith No More, on vocals, as well as DJ Lethal, of Limp Bizkit, on scratches.
Songs
The album stands out for its fusion of heavy rhythms with tribal percussion and indigenous vocalizations, exemplified by the track "Itsári". This song, whose name means "roots", was recorded directly within the Xavante tribe with the participation of indigenous people in the vocalizations, using an eight-channel recorder powered by truck batteries due to the lack of electricity. The lyrics, written by Max Cavalera, are notable for their timeless resonance. Regis Tadeu, in a later review, stated that the lyrical themes of all the album's songs "remain astonishingly current", underlining the depth and lasting relevance of the messages addressed by the album.
Num movimento conhecido, depois de romperem violentamente não apenas com a música popular brasileira, lato sensu, mas também com o BRock, stricto sensu, depois até de terem ido morar em Phoenix, no Arizona (EUA), os membros do quarteto mineiro de thrash metal Sepultura puderam acertar as contas com a “música de raiz” de sua terra.
Arthur Dapieve · 300 Discos Importantes
Legacy
Roots was released to widespread critical acclaim, quickly being recognised as a fundamental work in the music scene. Rolling Stone Brasil magazine, in its Brazilian edition, classified it as the 57th greatest Brazilian music album. In terms of commercial success, Roots became Sepultura's best-selling album, reaching the milestone of over 500,000 copies sold in the United States alone. Twenty years after its release, in 2016, the album's total sales surpassed 2 million copies, consolidating its global impact. The album also established itself as a crucial reference for nu metal bands, directly influencing the sound and experimentation of many artists who would follow.
Tracks
Credits
Sepultura
Ross Robinson
Andreas Kisser, Carlinhos Brown, DJ Lethal, Sepultura, Xavantes Tribe
Andreas Kisser, Carlinhos Brown, D-Low, Jonathan Davis, Max Cavalera, Sepultura
Max Cavalera
Paulo Jr.
Igor Cavalera
Andreas Kisser
Carlinhos Brown
Chuck Johnson
Rob Agnello
Richard Kaplan
Steve Sisco
George Marino
Andy Wallace
Podcasts
![Sepultura - Roots (1996) [w/ Ross Robinson, Producer & Keith Barney of Eighteen Visions]](https://i.scdn.co/image/ab6765630000ba8a46fc324db715b7b50320a435)
Meep Meep Podcast · Ryan Rainbro
Ross Robinson has an intimate relationship with Roadrunner's catalog between being signed to the label with his band Detente, to producing several acclaimed albums including ROOTS. So what do I ask him about?... Tha Phunk Junkeez. Keith Barney's band Eighteen Visions is so influential that a current Roadrunner band, Motionless In White, named themselves after one of their songs! But before that he
Redação DISCONECTA · Disconecta
O disco mais importante da história do metal brasileiro (e quiçá da nossa música no exterior) completa 30 anos! 🤘🔥No episódio de hoje do Redação Podcast, Marcelo Sherer, Maurício e Boris Grilo mergulham nos bastidores, polêmicas e no impacto estrondoso de "Roots", a obra-prima do Sepultura lançada em 1996.Como a banda teve a coragem de misturar o peso extremo com os tambores de Chico Science e N
Olá pessoas! Nesse episódio mais que especial, Igor Giroto recebe Jones Pereira, guitarrista da banda Labirinto e Luiz Alcamim, host do Inomináveis Podcast. Além de fazerem parte do coletivo Caoticagem. Esse trio dissecou o todo poderoso ROOTS, do Sepultura do Brasil! Disco que mudou a música pesada para sempre. Aperte o play e venha celebrar os 25 anos desse clássico absoluto. † COMPRE NOSSO MER
DISCO-NHECIDOS · Debaixo do Chão
Diguiri-pa Cenobitas! E sejam muito bem-vindos a mais um DISCO-NHECIDOS! É isso mesmo, está no ar o polemico e aguardado episódio do Roots com o Gabriel (Bite) da página do Instagram com ótimas resenhas @biteredofc, que participou da estreia do Podcast mas dessa vez para soltar suas farpas sobre o divisor de águas e influencias infames Roots 1996 que na opinião dele, O PIOR E MAIS FRACO ÁLBUM DO S
Videos
SEPULTURA - ROOTS: A EVOLUÇÃO DO SEPULTURA ATÉ ROOTS BLOODY ROOTS COM MAX CAVALERA
MAS ISSO NA MINHA OPINIÃO
Grandes Álbuns: Sepultura - Roots ALBUM REVIEW (PT-BR)
O Audiófilo
Sepultura - Roots - Second Hand CD Review
Second Hand CD collector
Sepultura Roots Album Review
Acid Rootz
Sepultura - Roots Album Review
RichardMetalFan
"Roots" - Sepultura | Melhores discos brasileiros dos anos 90 | Alta Fidelidade
Alta Fidelidade
Films
Books
Os 500 Maiores Álbuns Brasileiros de Todos os Tempos
Ricardo Alexandre · 2022
The largest Brazilian music election ever conducted: 162 specialists, spanning journalists, critics, musicians, producers and podcasters, each nominated 50 essential albums, supported by a masterlist of more than 2,000 works. Led by Ricardo Alexandre with tabulation by Sérgio Jomori, it was published in December 2022 as a 200-page hardcover book with graphic design by Fernando Pires.
300 Discos Importantes da Música Brasileira
Charles Gavin, Tárik de Souza, Carlos Calado, Arthur Dapieve · 2008
Conceived by Titãs drummer and musical researcher Charles Gavin, the 434-page book brings together covers and reviews of albums released between 1929 and 2007. The texts were written by journalists Tárik de Souza, Arthur Dapieve and Carlos Calado.
Analyses
Roots – Wikipedia
Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia
Roots – The 100 Greatest Albums of Brazilian Music
Leonardo Dias Pereira · Rolling Stone Brasil
A watershed moment for the genre and the band's career, Roots was one of the greatest thrash albums of the 1990s.
The Raw And The Half-Baked: Sepultura's Roots At 25
thequietus.com
There's no question that Roots had an impact. It has sold over two million copies worldwide, features regularly in metal 'best of' lists and saw Sepultura receive praise from the non-metal media. Indeed, Sepultura had, at least since 1991's Arise, attracted sympathetic attention from outside the metal world.
Album Review - Sepultura / Roots (1996) | THE HEADBANGING MOOSE
theheadbangingmoose.com
"Sepultura do Brasil" changed the world of music with the most creative Thrash Metal album of all time. The year of 1996 was a very special year in my life: it was my last year in high school, I fi…
Sepultura - Roots - Reviews - Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives
metal-archives.com
We are in 1996, Sepultura decided to change their sound, more focusing on the vocals and tribal percusions and furthering away from their extreme metal roots, ironically (b'cause the name's Roots, you see?).
