| "Back to the Primitive" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Soulfly | ||||
| from the album Primitive | ||||
| Released | December 4, 2000 | |||
| Recorded | 1999–2000 | |||
| Genre | Nu metal | |||
| Length | 4:22 | |||
| Label | Roadrunner | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Max Cavalera | |||
| Producer(s) | ||||
| Soulfly singles chronology | ||||
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"Back to the Primitive" is a song by heavy metal band Soulfly, released in 2000. The song, composed by Max Cavalera, is played as the first track of the second Soulfly album, Primitive .
The song features simple downtuned riffs, plus tribal drumming and blabbering; it also plays berimbau to begin the song. Lyrically, this political song is about demoting national government back to local tribal society. [1] Every choruses begin with 'Back to the Primitive', except for the first line of lyric Um, dois, treis, quatro ("one, two, three, four" in Portuguese) to begin the song, and verses containing just "primitive" per line. [2]
The song begins with a berimbau, but it is not the case for the accompanying music video. Instead, the intro plays tribal percussion with 'Soulfly' chants alternately by Cavalera and spectators; the berimbau is shown, but not heard. The drumming intro lasts 29 seconds, compared to just 23 seconds for the berimbau intro. Interspersed in the video are religious imagery and people of different cultures while the band performs the song in front of an audience. At the end of the video, Ozzy Osbourne makes a cameo by saying "Primitive!" into the camera. [3]
All lyrics are written by Max Cavalera except where noted; all music is composed by Max Cavalera
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Back to the Primitive" | 4:01 | |
| 2. | "Terrorist" (Total Destruction Mix) |
| 4:39 |
| 3. | "Back to the Primitive" (Dub Shit Up Mix) | 4:35 | |
| Total length: | 13:15 | ||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Back to the Primitive" | 3:58 |
| Total length: | 3:58 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Back to the Primitive" (Uncensored Version) | 3:58 |
| 2. | "Back to the Primitive" (Censored Version) | 4:00 |
| Total length: | 7:58 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Spineshank – New Disease" | 3:16 |
| 2. | "Soulfly – Back to the Primitive" | 4:20 |
| Total length: | 7:36 | |
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Back to the Primitive" | ||
| 2. | "Terrorist" |
|
|
|
| Chart (2000) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles (Official Charts Company) [4] | 120 |
Soulfly is an American heavy metal band formed in Phoenix, Arizona in 1997. Soulfly is led by former Sepultura frontman Max Cavalera, who formed the band after he left the Brazilian group in 1996. To date the band has released twelve studio albums, one tour EP, twenty-three singles, one video album, and twelve music videos. Their debut album, Soulfly, was released on April 21, 1998, while their most recent album, Totem, was released on August 5, 2022.
Soulfly is the debut studio album by American heavy 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 was the first album featuring Cavalera since leaving Sepultura two years prior. Soulfly has been certified gold by the RIAA.
Primitive is the second studio album by American heavy metal band Soulfly, released in 2000 through Roadrunner Records. As of 2002, Primitive has sold over 226,569 copies as reported by SoundScan.
3 is the third studio album by American heavy metal band Soulfly released in 2002 through Roadrunner Records. 3 has sold 195,000 copies as of March 11, 2008.
Massimiliano Antonio "Max" Cavalera is a Brazilian musician. He co-founded the heavy metal band Sepultura in 1984 with his brother Igor Cavalera, and was the band's lead singer and rhythm guitarist until his departure in 1996. He currently plays in the heavy metal bands Soulfly, Cavalera Conspiracy, Killer Be Killed and Go Ahead and Die. Cavalera was also involved in a short-lived side project called Nailbomb.
Prophecy is the fourth studio album by American heavy metal band Soulfly, released in 2004. It is noteworthy for three guest artists – the completely different line-up for the album apart from leader Max Cavalera, the world music influence from a stint that Cavalera spent in Serbia, and explicit spirituality themes on the album. The album has gone on to sell over 275,000 copies.
Nailbomb is a heavy metal band formed in 1993 as a side project by Brazilian musician Max Cavalera of Sepultura, Cavalera Conspiracy and Soulfly, and British musician Alex Newport of Fudge Tunnel. They played a combination of primarily industrial metal and thrash metal. The band recorded one studio album, Point Blank, and played a warmup live performance and their only official gig for 29 years at the 1995 Dynamo Open Air Festival two days later, after which the band disbanded. The band will reunite for a one-off show in Tempe, Arizona in November 2024.
Dark Ages is the fifth studio album by American heavy metal band Soulfly. It was released on October 4, 2005.
Cavalera Conspiracy is a Brazilian-American heavy metal supergroup from Phoenix, Arizona, founded by Brazilian brothers Max and Igor Cavalera, who are widely known as former members of Sepultura, and the only two constant members of the band. The band originally formed in 2007 as Inflikted but changed its name for legal reasons. The group's creation marked the end of a 10-year feud between the Cavalera brothers who founded Sepultura in the early 1980s. In 2022, they adopted the name Cavalera in order to release re-recorded editions of classic Sepultura albums, which were released in 2023.
Inflikted is the debut studio album from Cavalera Conspiracy, the Cavalera brothers' first record together in 12 years - since the release of Roots by Sepultura in 1996.
"Attitude" is a song by Brazilian heavy metal band Sepultura. It is the second single from their 1996 album Roots. The song remains a concert staple to this day. A music video was filmed for the single which features the band performing beside a mixed martial arts cage, in which various people are fighting whilst being filmed. The Gracie family also appear in the video. At the end of the video, the crowd goes crazy and destroys the cage and Max Cavalera destroys his guitar. At the very end, the band and the Gracie family are seen taking photos. This video can be found on the VHS We Are What We Are, which was later released on DVD as part of Chaos DVD.
Conquer is the sixth studio album by American heavy metal band Soulfly. It saw official release on July 23, 2008, in Australia, although the album had leaked early onto file-sharing networks. It was released on July 29, 2008, in Canada and the United States and debuted at #66 on the U.S. Billboard 200 — Soulfly's highest Billboard peak since their 2002 release, 3.
Omen is the seventh studio album by American heavy metal band Soulfly. It was recorded in November 2009 and was released first in Japan on May 18, 2010, and on May 25, 2010, in other parts of the world. It was released on May 24, 2010, in parts of Europe. It is the last album to feature bassist Bobby Burns and drummer Joe Nuñez, who were replaced by Asesino frontman Tony Campos and former Borknagar drummer David Kinkade in mid-2011. At just over forty and a half minutes, it is the band's second shortest album; the shortest is Archangel at thirty-six and a half minutes.
Enslaved is the eighth studio album by American heavy metal band Soulfly. It was recorded in fall 2011, mostly in Tallcat Studios in Phoenix, Arizona. Zeuss produced this album. This is the first album to feature Asesino frontman Tony Campos on bass, and the only album to feature former Borknagar drummer David Kinkade on drums, and their last studio album to be released through Roadrunner Records.
Zyon Cavalera is an American musician who is the current drummer for metal bands Soulfly and Lody Kong. He is the son of ex-Sepultura and current Soulfly frontman Max Cavalera.
"Prophecy" is a song recorded by Soulfly in 2003 and released on February 14, 2004. The song is found on the band's fourth album Prophecy as the first and title track. It is the only single released from the album.
"Tribe" is the fourth single by heavy metal band Soulfly, released in January 1999. It is played as the ninth track of the eponymous debut album Soulfly, after "Bleed" and before "Bumba". "Tribe" is the fourth and last single of the album. As with every other Soulfly songs with vocals, the lyrics were written by Max Cavalera.
"Son Song" is a song, played as the sixth track of the Soulfly album Primitive. Roadrunner Records released this song in the form of single in 2001, but the album containing this song was released a year before. It is the sixth single released by Soulfly and second from Primitive.
"Unleash" is a song by American heavy metal band Soulfly from the 2008 album Conquer. This single, along with music video, was released a month before the album's release and was the album's first of two singles. Dave Peters is the guest vocalist, and helped Max Cavalera write lyrics prior to the recording.
"Bloodshed" is a Soulfly song, played as the first track of the Soulfly's Savages album. "Bloodshed" is the first Soulfly single released by the band's new label, Nuclear Blast. This song premiered on the BBC Radio 1 Rock Show on August 6, 2013, two days before single was officially released.
