Sepultura – The Cloud of Unknowing
Sepultura – The Cloud of Unknowing
Nuclear Blast
Release Date: 24/04/2026
Review By Victor Augusto
8.5/10
The Cloud of Unknowing. Do we know what is going on after we leave this world? This great title reflects our afterlife, or every afterlife, when all we know is a question mark. It makes sense from a band who is celebrating its life through death and carries a name which means grave in its native language. If you have been following these Brazilian guys, you will know that the references are not just a market from a farewell tour, it’s a thought final chapter from a band who rebuilt themselves to end their more than 40 years in a spectacular way.
I’ve already expressed my admiration for all eras of the band, also I’ve mentioned the persistence they had to keep growing, when there was a massive number of people saying they’ve already died. This persistence was a huge inspiration for me, every time I faced difficult battles in my life. I could say this endless motivation they had to keep going is one of the many legacies that Sepultura will leave for the worldwide heavy metal community.
This unpredicted EP was recorded after the great synergy with the new and young drummer Greyson Nekrutman along this tour and I should say that Greyson is one of those kids that are not the same drummer since the beginning of their first shows with Sepultura, back in 2024. I saw them for the first couple of concerts in Brazil and it was nothing that amuse me in terms of a live performance. Just after 6 months, I could see them again, still in 2024, and I could not believe it was the same guy playing drums. He was incredibly better in a short space of time.
I can’t imagine how legendary he would become if the band keeps playing. One great example is the opening track ‘All Souls Rising’, that suddenly breaks the brutal speed with a dramatic short piece of orchestration and then, Greyson destroys everything with a non-stopping Heavy Metal-Jazzy drum fill. It’s something absolutely new in the band’s career (as far as I remember). This same song by the way represents the best of how Sepultura can be aggressive. Powerful riffs, killer screams and a very concise band.
The album carries the sonority which makes the two last albums remarkable, also with a few of the elements of older albums such as “Roorback” or “Dante XXI”, which is great to remind the fans that many elements you hear nowadays in Sepultura were still there for many years. The ballad ‘Beyond the Dream’ (not a ballad in my opinion), is a great mix of songs such as ‘Machine Messiah’, with something that reminds me of Metallica’s ‘Fade to Black’. Indeed a great song that had a partnership with a musician from a Brazilian band called Titãs, the same band who Sepultura covered ‘Polícia’ in the past.
The speed returns with the fast song ‘Sacred Books’, carrying a great piano along it and again, these surprisingly elements that are not so common in Sepultura’s music were a great way to make albums like “Machine Messiah” and “Quadra” so great. The final track ‘The Place’ slows down, following the album pattern of alternating cadenced and fast songs. And being repetitive, I could feel the DNA of the “Derrick Ages” in this very heavy track.
“The Cloud of Unknowing” is more than a final chapter. It’s the reinforcement that Sepultura is always overcoming themselves, over the decades. This great album carries an incredible production and a tight band. The result was so amazing that not even the most dedicated fans (myself included) could expect to hear.
The Place (OFFICIAL LYRIC VIDEO)
TRACKLISTING:
01. All Souls Rising
02. Beyond the Dream
03. Sacred Books
04. The Place
LINE-UP:
Derrick Green – Vocals
Andreas Kisser – Guitars
Greyson Nekrutman – Drums
Paulo Jr. – Bass
LINKS:
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