Cavalera Conspiracy w/ Incite and Recall The Remains -KK’s Steel Mill, Wolverhampton
Cavalera Conspiracy w/ Incite and Recall The Remains
KK’s Steel Mill, Wolverhampton
09/11/23
Review and Photography by Rob Lindesay
Recall the Remains
First up is Recall the Remains. I wasn’t familiar with the Shropshire 5-piece but listened to a couple of tracks the previous day. At first, I feared they might have made for a bit of a mis-matched bill, with more of a metalcore sound and the alternating clean/scream vocals. But they brought a great energy and vibe, with frontman Jacob Collins’ head height jumps and floor length dreadlocks doing a solid job of warming up the crowd. 6/10
https://www.facebook.com/recalltheremains
Incite
I’d seen Incite a few years ago, on another Cavalera family outing (that time supporting Soulfly), and tonight they gave us a no-nonsense rendition of their catalogue dating back to 2009. Richie Cavalera has an animated and aggressive stage persona, sharing the same guttural vocal punch as his stepfather. Keen to promote last year’s release, they played 4 songs from the “Wake up Dead” album, but to the disappointment of the crowd Max did not join in for his guest vocal spot on “War Soup”. Nonetheless, the set was well received, and there was a queue at the merch table afterwards.
Incite have grown as a band since I last saw them; I must admit last time around I did suspect they only got on the tour because of the Cavalera surname, but it would be doing them an injustice to imply nepotism now – based on tonight’s performance they can look forward to decent headlining tours in the future. 7/10
https://www.facebook.com/inciteheavymetal
Cavalera Conspiracy
Then it was time for the main event, and tonight was all about Sepultura. The annals of metal history are littered with bands who have suffered crippling lineup changes, but Sepultura is a curious case. After the split with founding members and main inspirational force the Cavalera brothers, Sepultura re-grouped and re-focussed, now pursuing a more technical and sometimes progressive direction. Few other split bands can claim that both halves went on to be so successful.
But that’s not why we’re here. Tonight, we had the Old School guys playing the Old School material as we rewound to 1985/86 to celebrate the first two records – the “Bestial Devastation” EP and first album “Morbid Visions”. This was to be the third instalment of their ‘albums revisited’ treatment. (After the popularity of the ‘Return to Roots’ and ‘Beneath the Arise’ tours, why wouldn’t they?). The debut releases were raw, in terms of both production and musicianship – which was indeed part of the appeal, but this year’s re-recordings somehow manage to retain the energy and vibe, modernising the feel without it sounding too polished.
Intro tape ‘The Curse’ rumbled over the PA, so it looked like we were getting the EP first, and the band took the stage to a very warm Wolverhampton welcome. “Welcome to 1986 – THE REAL FUCKING SEPULTURA!” Max bellowed, giving more than a hint at the band’s acrimonious split. Looking very 1986 with his spiked gauntlets, Max was flanked by son Igor Jr. on bass, Travis Stone (ex-Lody Kong) on guitar, and of course powerhouse drummer, Iggor, rounding off the family affair vibe.
For the first 3 songs I was in front of the barrier taking photographs, and I’m gutted I had to concentrate on my camera rather than give ‘Antichrist’ and ‘Necromancer’ my full appreciation. Soon the band smashed through the Bestial Devastation EP and vacated the stage for a rousing classical interlude. Carl Orff’s “O Fortuna” rang out leading into the title track from “Morbid Visions”, then ‘Mayhem’ followed… but ‘Troops of Doom’ was conspicuously absent.
It’s fair to say the crowd was lapping it up. Iggor’s drumming is primal and relentless, and the energy from Igor Jr and Travis was felt by the crowd. Tonight was proving that the early material is just as relevant now as it ever was, and with these records being traditionally under-represented on Sepultura and Cavalera Conspiracy’s usual setlists, a lot of fans would have been hearing these songs live for the first time.
The final chords of ‘Empire of the Damned’ rang out, signifying the end of the show. The crowd demanded an encore, and there was time for a couple of songs from other albums – ‘Escape to the Void’ from “Schizophrenia”, and ‘Refuse/Resist’ from “Chaos AD”. But they saved the best till last… ‘Troooops of Dooooooom!’ Max thundered, instigating a huge mosh pit.
Tonight, we paid homage to two records that were incredibly influential to the Death Metal and Black Metal genres, and it was fantastic to see the band firing on all cylinders. 9/10.
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