Soulfly is the debut album by American metal band Soulfly, released on April 21, 1998 through Roadrunner Records. The record was released in memory of frontman Max Cavalera's deceased stepson and the first album featuring Cavalera since leaving Sepultura two years prior. Both CDs have the message In Loving Memory Dana printed across them. The album has been certified gold by the RIAA.
"The Song Remains Insane" is pieced together by two other songs, opening with a cover of "Caos" by Ratos de Porão and secondly a brief reckless hardcore rendition of "Attitude" by Sepultura. "Umbabarauma" is a cover of a 1976 song by Brazilian musician Jorge Ben Jor,[5] which originally featured on his album África Brasil.
The breakdown riff in "Tribe" originated during Max's time still in Sepultura - most likely created during on-the-road demo jams during the Roots tour though evidently never recorded in any complete demo form. As such, the riff was also used by Sepultura members Andreas Kisser and Igor Cavalera as the main riff to 'Walkman' during their scoring of the movie No Coracao Dos Deuses, recorded the same year as Soulfly's 'Tribe'.
In 2008, speaking to Kerrang!, Max Cavalera remembered:
It was so hard to start over, having been in Sepultura for so long. In fact, it was harder getting Soulfly going than it was getting Sepultura started. Coming into a whole new situation underneath the shadow of Roots was a huge challenge for me, and most people thought I was nuts. Plus, we made a conscious effort not to sound like Sepultura. My choice of musicians took me away from straight metal and into a vibe that embraced a lot more, while still being heavy. Part of the magic was working with some of my all-time favourite Brazilian musicians and that really pushed me to write some great and some very different sounding music. Eye For an Eye is still my favourite, man, and I also like Tribe. That's like an anthem for all metalheads.[6]
Track listing
All lyrics are written by Max Cavalera except where stated; all music is composed by Max Cavalera except where stated
Gilmar Bolla Oito - tambora on "Eye For An Eye", "Tribe", "Bumba", "Bumbklaatt", "Umbabarauma", "Quilombo" & "Prejudice", percussion on "Soulfly", backing vocals on "Bumba" & "Umbabarauma", triangle on "Fire"
Jorge Du Peixe - tambora on "Eye For An Eye", "Tribe", "Bumba", "Bumbklaatt", "Umbabarauma", "Quilombo" & "Prejudice", percussion on "Soulfly", backing vocals on "Bumba" & "Umbabarauma", chocalho on "Fire"
Benji Webbe - vocals on "Quilombo" & "Prejudice", chains on "Prejudice", backing vocals on "Bumba"
Chuck Johnson - backing vocals on "Bumba" & "Umbabarauma", percussion on "Soulfly" & "Karmageddon"
Eric Bobo - backing vocals on "Bumba" & "Umbabarauma", percussion on "Umbabarauma"
Los Hooligans - lead and backing vocals on "Bumba", backing vocals on "Umbabarauma"
^Prato, Greg. "Soulfly - Soulfly". AllMusic. Retrieved November 9, 2014. Like his last release with Sepultura, the superb Roots, experimentation (Brazilian tribal drumming/rhythms, samples, unearthly sound effects, etc.) is a catalyst here on Soulfly, but gut-wrenching heavy metal is the foundation for almost all of the tracks.