Sepultura Refuse/Resist EP Review

This was one of my first experiences with Sepultura when I was in high school. At that time, I was unaware of Sepultura's origin as an extreme thrash metal band. The groove metal sound of the Roots/Chaos A.D. era was the sound I attributed to the band. At the time, this EP was amazing to me. It was powerful and aggressive and nothing like I had ever heard before. Sepultura was my gateway into extreme metal. The EP has almost everything: good songs from the recent album, some previously unreleased covers, and live tracks.

Now, almost a decade since I had first gotten into Sepultura, this is still a decent release, although it has not aged well. The groove metal genre is watered down for the most part and only a select few bands have been able to be successful in that genre. Sepultura was one of those bands. Chaos A.D. and this EP are examples of groove metal done right.

The album kicks off with the heartbeat of "Refuse/Resist", possibly Sepultura's most well-known song. This is an extremely powerful song and has lost none of its power and meaning over the years. "Propaganda" is another strong track off of the Chaos A.D. album, and while not as good as "Refuse/Resist", is a fairly strong track as well. Max Cavalera's vocals have always been gruff but they really achieved a level of meanness and anger in the groove metal era of the band. The riffs are still strong as Max has always been able to write decent riffs and the drumming rumbles along with the rest of the band.

The cover tracks are hardcore/metal tracks that display the influences of the band. The band was raised on 80's hardcore and thrash and these influences have always shined through, especially early on. The best track here is probably "Crucificados Pelo Sistema".

After that, the EP features some live tracks and this is where Sepultura always shines. Their live show is a major spectacle and the band plays very well. They are tight and cohesive and even more aggressive than their recorded material. The live tracks featured are mostly from their thrash days and helped introduce me to their earlier material. "Dead Embryonic Cells" is a true thrash classic. The album closes with the Motorhead cover "Orgasmatron" which Sepultura has really made their own. They play it frequently live and it sounds great.

This is a very good EP with all of the necessary ingredients to look for in an EP. A very good pickup and good place to start with the band.