Enslaved (Soulfly album)

Enslaved is the eighth studio album by American heavy metal band Soulfly.[1] It was recorded in fall 2011, mostly in Tallcat Studios in Phoenix, Arizona. Zeuss produced this album. This is the first album to feature Asesino frontman Tony Campos on bass, and the only album to feature former Borknagar drummer David Kinkade on drums, and their last studio album to be released through Roadrunner Records.

Enslaved
Studio album by
ReleasedMarch 13, 2012
RecordedSeptember–November 2011
Studio
Genre
Length53:33 (regular edition)
65:45 (special edition)
LabelRoadrunner
ProducerZeuss
Soulfly chronology
Omen
(2010)
Enslaved
(2012)
Savages
(2013)
Singles from Enslaved
  1. "World Scum"
    Released: January 25, 2012

Album information edit

Guests on the album include Dez Fafara of Coal Chamber and DevilDriver[2] on "Redemption of Man by God" and Travis Ryan of Cattle Decapitation on "World Scum", whose vocals were recorded at Frick'In Studios in San Marcos, California. Ryan was brought in to record vocals in place of Adam Warren of Oceano.[3] One song features a guest violinist, among other new styles that they have incorporated into their sound.[4] The album features more death metal influence than their previous releases.

Songs edit

"World Scum" is the album's only single released on January 25, 2012 with a video released on February 16. The song "Revengeance" features Max Cavalera's sons,[5] and the lyrics are about the murder of his stepson Dana Wells. "Gladiator", leaked online several days before the release of the album, is a melodic song about Roman gladiators.[citation needed] "Plata O Plomo" features Marc Rizzo playing the flamenco guitar, as well as use of Portuguese and Spanish lyrics.[6] "Soulfly VIII" is the first Soulfly song to feature a violin, performed by Tim Sadow.[7]

Reception edit

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic56/100[8]
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic     [9]
Blabbermouth.net          [10]
Exclaim!          [11]
Metal Hammer          [12]
PopMatters          [13]
Q     [14]

The album debuted at number 83 on the Canadian Albums Chart.[15] According to Blabbermouth.net, Enslaved sold 5,900 copies during the first week of its release in the US, thus reaching number 82 on the Billboard 200 chart.[16]

Enslaved received mixed reviews by critics.[8] Then-drummer David Kinkade described the album as "Arise on crack."[17] According to PopMatters, "every song fits into the structure and tone to create a memorable record packed with outstanding content."[13] Q had a negative response because, according to them, world music elements are getting stale.[14] Greg Pratt of Exclaim! wrote that "this album is the band's best yet, as well as the least caught up in "look at this!" eccentricities, adding up to a solid outing, one that never quite gets to death metal, even with blast beats littered throughout. Instead, it's just huge, thick, thrashed-out, aggro-dude metal, but with, like, 20-percent less neon-dread content."[11]

Track listing edit

All tracks are written by Max Cavalera except where stated

Enslaved
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Resistance"  1:53
2."World Scum" (feat. Travis Ryan)Max Cavalera, Travis Ryan 5:20
3."Intervention"  3:56
4."Gladiator"  4:59
5."Legions"  4:19
6."American Steel"  4:15
7."Redemption of Man by God" (feat. Dez Fafara)Max Cavalera, Dez Fafara 5:16
8."Treachery"  5:49
9."Plata O Plomo"Max Cavalera, Tony Campos 4:53
10."Chains"  7:18
11."Revengeance" (feat. Richie, Zyon & Igor Cavalera Jr.)Max Cavalera, Richie Cavalera, Igor Cavalera Jr.Max Cavalera, Igor Cavalera Jr., Zyon Cavalera5:52
Total length:53:33
Deluxe edition
No.TitleLength
12."Slave"3:51
13."Bastard"3:57
14."Soulfly VIII" (Instrumental feat. Tim Sadow)4:24
Total length:65:45
Japanese edition
No.TitleLength
12."Slave"3:51
13."Soulfly VIII" (Instrumental feat. Tim Sadow)4:24
14."Downstroy" (Live)3:07
Total length:64:55

Personnel edit

Chart positions edit

Chart (2012) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[18] 40
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[19] 32
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[20] 59
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[21] 86
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[22] 66
French Albums (SNEP)[23] 98
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[24] 38
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[25] 36
US Billboard 200[26] 83

References edit

  1. ^ "Soulfly: New Album Title, Release Date Revealed". Blabbermouth.net. December 6, 2011. Archived from the original on January 8, 2012.
  2. ^ "New Soulfly Drummer Talks About Band's Next Album in Video Interview". Blabbermouth.net. November 11, 2011. Archived from the original on September 12, 2012.
  3. ^ "Cattle Decapitation Frontman Comments on Soulfly Collaboration". Blabbermouth.net. November 17, 2011. Archived from the original on February 1, 2013.
  4. ^ "Soulfly to Release New Album in March!". Roadrunner Records.com. February 8, 2012.
  5. ^ Chad Bowar. "Soulfly - Enslaved Review". About.com Heavy Metal. Archived from the original on April 13, 2014. Retrieved May 10, 2014.
  6. ^ "http://www.examiner.com/review/soulfly-enslaved-album-review Soulfly - 'Enslaved' album review". examiner.com. March 20, 2012. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  7. ^ Josh Hart (March 12, 2012). "Interview: Max Cavalera and Soulfly Get Extreme with 'Enslaved'". Guitar World. Retrieved May 10, 2014.
  8. ^ a b "Enslaved Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
  9. ^ Allmusic review
  10. ^ Alisoglu, Scott. "Blabbermouth: Soulfly - Enslaved". Blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on March 6, 2012. Retrieved March 13, 2012.
  11. ^ a b Greg Pratt (March 13, 2012). "Soulfly - Enslaved". Metal Reviews. Exclaim!. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
  12. ^ . Metal Hammer (UK). March 2012. p. 96. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  13. ^ a b Chris Colgan (May 23, 2012). "Soulfly: Enslaved". Review. PopMatters. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
  14. ^ a b . Q Magazine. April 2012. p. 101. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  15. ^ "Music SoundScan Charts". Jam! Canoe. Archived from the original on December 26, 2004. Retrieved March 22, 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  16. ^ "Soulfly: 'Enslaved' First-Week Sales Revealed". Blabbermouth.net. March 21, 2012. Archived from the original on July 16, 2012.
  17. ^ "Soulfly Drummer: New Material Is Like '"Arise" on Crack'". Metal Hammer. September 19, 2011. Archived from the original on December 24, 2011.
  18. ^ "Soulfly - Enslaved". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  19. ^ "Soulfly - Enslaved" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  20. ^ "Soulfly - Enslaved" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  21. ^ "Soulfly - Enslaved" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  22. ^ "Soulfly - Enslaved" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  23. ^ "Soulfly - Enslaved" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  24. ^ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  25. ^ "Soulfly - Enslaved". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  26. ^ "Soulfly Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 8, 2021.

External links edit