{"id":525319,"date":"2025-10-24T18:14:11","date_gmt":"2025-10-24T18:14:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/525319\/"},"modified":"2025-10-24T18:14:11","modified_gmt":"2025-10-24T18:14:11","slug":"soulfly-chama-review-angry-metal-guy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/525319\/","title":{"rendered":"Soulfly – Chama Review | Angry Metal Guy"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Max Cavalera casts one hell of a shadow in metal, with a wide swath of bands he\u2019s either founded or played alongside. Though Cavalera\u2019s mightiest legacy will be his time with Sepultura<\/strong>, he\u2019s been with Soulfly<\/strong> over twice as long. In that time, Max and company have written and recorded thirteen albums. On latest offering Chama, the elder Cavalera relinquished producing credits and creative focus to his son and Soulfly<\/strong>\u2019s drummer, Zyon, providing an opportunity for a fresh direction. Chama\u2019s loose concept centers around a boy surviving in Brazil\u2019s favelas. In the wake of his environment\u2019s pandemonium, the boy ignites a spark for something greater, leading him into the Amazonian wilderness to kindle his inner spirit amongst the native tribes. Getting back to one\u2019s roots is a theme explored throughout Max\u2019s career, and one that has informed the band\u2019s sound since the beginning. Does Chama find Soulfly<\/strong> going back to the primitive, or just going through the motions?<\/p>\n

With Zyon at the artistic helm, Chama filters Soulfly<\/strong>\u2019s signature sound through a darker lens and enlists a slew of support. Chama feels like a natural progression from 2022\u2019s Totem<\/a>, which embraced a more calloused aesthetic after guitarist Marc Rizzo\u2019s departure. Where Ritual\u2019s thrashy tendencies welded melody with indigenous flair, Totem pitched Soulfly<\/strong>\u2019s sound into darker territory. Chama continues this descent, adding industrial heft that imbues extra grit into the record\u2019s grim sound (\u201cGhenna,\u201d \u201cBlack Hole Scum\u201d). This suits the narrative\u2019s backdrop as \u2018the boy\u2019 escapes from the overpopulated slums of a developing nation. And speaking of overcrowding, Soulfly<\/strong> puts out the call to arms to help Chama arise (again). The album features Fear Factory<\/strong><\/a>\u2019s Dino Cazares (\u201cNo Pain = No Power\u201d), Nails<\/strong><\/a>\u2019s Todd Jones (\u201cNihilist\u201d), Arch Enemy<\/strong><\/a>\u2019s Michael Amott (\u201cGhenna\u201d), and vocal appearances from No Warning<\/strong>\u2019s Ben Cook and Unto Others<\/strong><\/a>\u2019s Gabe Franco. Throughout the album, Igor Amadeus Cavalera handles low-end duty while Mike DeLeon (Flesh Hoarder<\/strong>, Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals<\/strong><\/a>) picks and wails on guitar.<\/p>\n

Rather than dulling Soulfly<\/strong>\u2019s bite, age has only honed the veteran act\u2019s edge and intensity. The last ten years have seen the band shift away from sprawling structures, preferring ten (mostly) focused tracks in under forty-five minutes. Chama ups the ante, clocking in at only thirty-three. First proper song \u201cStorm the Gates\u201d launches with Max in fighting form, roaring with as much vitriol as ever while he commands us to, \u201cFight the power, fight the greed.\u2019 \u201cGhenna\u201d and \u201cFavela\/Dystopia\u201d further evidence Max\u2019s conviction, tightly channeling his righteous indignation. \u201cFavela\/Dystopia\u201d and \u201cBlack Hole Scum,\u201d meanwhile, conjure Ministry<\/strong><\/a>\u2019s mid-90s atmosphere, evoking Filth Pig\u2019s sludgy swamp stomp between intermittent bursts of drums \u2018n\u2019 chugs. Zyon finds moments to abuse his kit with satisfying zeal, where \u201cStorm the Gates\u201d and \u201cGhenna\u201d highlight his performance, and Igor Amadeus\u2019s bass asserts a self-possessed and audible sweet spot in the mix.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

With so much going right on Chama, it\u2019s a shame there isn\u2019t more of it. This is the first time that I can accuse Soulfly<\/strong> of not supplying enough material, though a solid thirty-three minutes could have been enough. However, with two-minute intro \u201cIndigenous Inquisition,\u201d four-minute instrumental \u201cSoulfly XIII,\u201d the unnecessarily long intro to \u201cAlways Was, Always Will Be\u2026\u201d and the outro in the last half of \u201cChama,\u201d we\u2019re left with about twenty-five minutes of proper meat over this flame. That\u2019s not quite enough to sate the requirements of a full-length, and the remaining songs don\u2019t afford enough variety or substance to stand on their own. In isolation, individual songs get in, jumpdafuckup, and get out, but altogether, Chama feels light by a song or two.<\/p>\n

Chama attests that Soulfly<\/strong> has gas in the tank and a destination in mind, and Cavaleras & Co. prove they can still pen a rousing anthem and bring it. While I can\u2019t say this about every Soulfly<\/strong> album, Chama feels vital and important to the band, and that authenticity seeps into the sludge and the fury. The filler-to-killer ratio holds Chama back, but it\u2019s a worthwhile listen for anyone curious what Max is up to these days or with half an hour to pass. Those familiar with Soulfly<\/strong> won\u2019t be surprised at what they hear, but I wager many will appreciate how the band has distilled Chama into a controlled burn.<\/p>\n

\ufeff<\/p>\n

Rating<\/strong>: Good
DR<\/strong>: 5 | Format Reviewed<\/strong>: 320 kbps mp3
Label<\/strong>: Nuclear Blast Records<\/a>
Websites<\/strong>: Official Website<\/a> | Facebook<\/a>
Releases Worldwide<\/strong>: October 24th, 2025<\/p>\n

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