The Mediator Between Head and Hands Must Be the Heart

Last updated

The Mediator Between Head and Hands Must Be the Heart
Sepultura - The Mediator Between Head and Hands Must Be the Heart artwork.jpg
Studio album by
Sepultura
Released
  • October 25, 2013 (Europe)
  • October 28, 2013 (UK)
  • October 29, 2013 (North America)
RecordedJune−July 2013
StudioRoss Robinson’s Home Studio (Venice, California)
Genre
Length47:04
Label Nuclear Blast, Tribus Music
Producer Ross Robinson
Sepultura chronology
Kairos
(2011)		The Mediator Between Head and Hands Must Be the Heart
(2013)		 Machine Messiah
(2017)
Singles from The Mediator Between Head and Hands Must Be the Heart
  1. "The Age of the Atheist"
    Released: September 20, 2013

The Mediator Between Head and Hands Must Be the Heart is the thirteenth studio album by the Brazilian metal band Sepultura. It was released on October 25, 2013 in Europe on October 29 in the United States via Nuclear Blast. [1] [2] The album is based on the 1927 science fiction film Metropolis ; its title is a quote from the film.

Contents

It is the band's first album to feature drummer Eloy Casagrande, and the first album by the band to be recorded in the United States since 1998's Against . The album was produced by Ross Robinson, who previously produced the band's 1996 album Roots .

Background

The band hinted at a thirteenth studio album as early as May 2012, when guitarist Andreas Kisser told Metal Underground that Sepultura would soon "start working on something new with [new drummer who joined in 2011] Eloy [Casagrande]" and see if they could "get ready for new music early next year." [3] Later, Kisser revealed that Sepultura was "already thinking about new ideas" for their next album and was going to "have something new going on" in 2013. [4]

On December 10, 2012, producer Ross Robinson, who produced Sepultura's Roots album, hinted on Twitter that he would be producing the new album, tweeting: "Oh, didn't mention.. Spoke to Andreas, it's on. My vision, smoke Roots- It can be done", [5] which was later confirmed with another announcement that Steve Evetts would be co-producing the album. [6]

By April 2013, the band had 13 songs in development, with Kisser commenting positively about the progress of the album, saying: "This is the first time writing with Eloy Casagrande on drums and everything sounds fresh(...)You'll just have to wait to hear it. It's very difficult to describe what we're doing, but I can say that will be one of the strongest Sepultura albums to date." [6] In May, vocalist Derrick Green reported "We have written most of the music already and now we are working on lyrics for the album. We should have everything ready before we hit the studio June 1st." [7]

On June 10, during the recording of the album, the band announced that they had six songs recorded for the album, and according to Kisser, they were "going in a rate of two songs a day". [8] Later that month, it was announced that former Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo would make a guest appearance on the album, with Kisser explaining "When the mics were all ready and running Eloy and Dave started playing and the magic was on, so great! The part they recorded will be a special part on the middle of one of the songs, it came out crazy!" [9]

On July 12, it was announced that the band has completed recording the album, and a week later, they announced that it would be called The Mediator Between Head and Hands Must Be the Heart.

Musical style

Vocalist Derrick Green described the album's sound as "really sinister, dark, and metal as hell!" [7] whilst guitarist Andreas Kisser said that the album is "brutal, fast and straight to the point". [1] They also commented positively on the input of new drummer Eloy Casagrande, with Green explaining "It's been great working with Eloy in the writing process because it brings a whole different energy to the music. The many changes that have been going on in our lives and in the world also add to the making of the new album." [7]

Concept

Guitarist Andreas Kisser said of the album title: "I was inspired by a phrase which is the main message of the story: "The mediator between the head and hands must be the heart" to express what we are saying on the lyrics." Although the album was inspired by the 1927 film Metropolis , it is not intended to be a concept album, unlike two of the band's previous studio albums, Dante XXI (based on Dante Alighieri's The Divine Comedy ) and A-Lex (based on the 1962 novel A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess). As guitarist Andreas Kisser explained:

"In the movie, a crazy millionaire wants to transform a robot into a real person. That's kind of the opposite of what we live today. More than ever we are robotized, through the worldwide web, Google glasses, chips under our skins and the globalized slavery our society suffers nowadays. The [aforementioned] phrase points to the heart as being the human factor who keeps a man, a man, not a robot. The heart beats with freedom of choice, we have to think by ourselves to create a real world, not a matrix. Being a novel written in the early 1920s, it's almost prophetical. It helped us to put the ideas together for the lyrics to express what we see today. I live in São Paulo, Brasil, one of the big metropolis in the world with more than 20,000,000 people living and working in it. I know how it is to live in daily chaos, our music reflects a lot of that feeling." [1]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
About.com Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [10]
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [11]
Blabbermouth.net Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [12]

Ray Van Horn Jr. of Blabbermouth.net gave the album 8 of 10 stars, stating that, "(...) most people should come out of this listening session pleased by the results". Matt Hinch from About.com said that, "Mediator is arguably Sepultura's best album this millennium and I'm sure some will even say since Chaos A.D.", and gave the album 4 of 5 stars.

The album sold over 1,800 copies in the United States in its first week of release. [13]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Derrick Green and Andreas Kisser; all music is composed by Kisser and Eloy Casagrande, except where noted

No.TitleLength
1."Trauma of War"3:45
2."The Vatican" (intro composed by Renato Zanuto)6:33
3."Impending Doom"4:15
4."Manipulation of Tragedy"4:16
5."Tsunami"5:10
6."The Bliss of Ignorants"4:51
7."Grief"5:34
8."The Age of the Atheist"4:19
9."Obsessed" (featuring Dave Lombardo)3:53
10."Da Lama ao Caos" (Chico Science & Nação Zumbi cover; music by Science)4:28
Total length:47:04
Bonus track (iTunes exclusive)
No.TitleLength
11."Stagnate State of Affairs"3:37

Personnel

Singles

No.TitleLength
1."The Age of the Atheist"4:19
2."Zombie Ritual" (Death cover)4:45

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sepultura</span> Brazilian heavy metal band

Sepultura is a Brazilian heavy metal band from Belo Horizonte. Formed in 1984 by brothers Max and Igor Cavalera, the band was a major force in the groove metal, thrash metal and death metal genres during the late 1980s and early 1990s, with their later experiments drawing influence from alternative metal, world music, nu metal, hardcore punk, and industrial metal. Sepultura has also been credited as one of the second wave of thrash metal acts from the late 1980s to early-to-mid-1990s.

<i>Chaos A.D.</i> 1993 studio album by Sepultura

Chaos A.D. is the fifth studio album by Brazilian heavy metal band Sepultura, released in 1993 by Roadrunner Records. The album saw a stylistic departure from the band's earlier thrash metal style, by featuring a new groove metal sound. Chaos A.D. is also Sepultura's only album on Epic Records, who handled its release for North American distribution, as well as the first album to feature Paulo Jr. on bass after having played with the band in a live capacity since 1984.

Ross Robinson is an American record producer who discovered acts such as Korn, Glassjaw, The Blood Brothers, Slipknot, and Limp Bizkit. Robinson has also worked with Tech N9ne, The Cure, Sepultura, and many others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derrick Green</span> American musician

Derrick Leon Green is an American musician best known as the vocalist of Brazilian heavy metal band Sepultura. He joined the band in 1997 after the departure of band founder Max Cavalera.

<i>Schizophrenia</i> (Sepultura album) 1987 studio album by Sepultura

Schizophrenia is the second studio album by Brazilian thrash metal band Sepultura, released on October 30, 1987 by Cogumelo Records. It is the first album for the band with Andreas Kisser. The album's sound leans more towards the death/thrash metal genre than the previous album Morbid Visions, which is stylistically closer to black metal. All songs were recorded during August 1987, except for the bonus track "Troops of Doom" which was recorded during August 26–27, 1990.

<i>Against</i> (album) 1998 studio album by Sepultura

Against is the seventh studio album by the Brazilian metal band Sepultura, released in 1998 through Roadrunner Records. It is the band's first release with new frontman Derrick Green, who replaced group founder Max Cavalera in 1997.

<i>Roorback</i> 2003 studio album by Sepultura

Roorback is the ninth studio album by Brazilian heavy metal band Sepultura, released in 2003, through SPV Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andreas Kisser</span> Brazilian guitarist

Andreas Rudolf Kisser is a Brazilian musician, best known for being the lead guitarist for the metal band Sepultura. He has been featured on every Sepultura release since their second album, Schizophrenia. Additionally, Kisser has also been involved in other bands such as the rock supergroup Hail!, Sexoturica and, more recently, De La Tierra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roots Bloody Roots</span> Sepultura song

"Roots Bloody Roots" is a song by Brazilian heavy metal band Sepultura, released in February 1996 as the lead single from their sixth studio album Roots. It is the band's best known song and remains a concert staple, usually being performed on encores. A music video was filmed for the song, which features the band performing in a catacomb as well as on the streets with a tribe of percussionists. This video can be found on the VHS We Are What We Are, which was later released on DVD as part of Chaos DVD.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paulo Jr.</span> Brazilian bassist

Paulo Xisto Pinto Júnior is a Brazilian musician best known as the bassist for heavy metal band Sepultura. He joined Sepultura after Roberto Raffan left the band in 1984, becoming Sepultura's second bassist. Although no original members are left in Sepultura, Pinto is the longest remaining member of Sepultura despite never performing on any album until Chaos A.D. (1993).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sepultura discography</span>

The following is the discography of Sepultura, a Brazilian heavy metal band. Sepultura was formed in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, in 1984 by brothers Max and Igor Cavalera. After several lineup changes, Paulo Jr. and Jairo Guedz became permanent members for the band's first studio album Morbid Visions, released in 1986 through Cogumelo Records. Guitarist Jairo Guedz left Sepultura following the band's first tour and was replaced by Andreas Kisser. With the new lineup, Sepultura recorded Schizophrenia in 1987. Beneath the Remains, the first album from the band's contract with Roadrunner Records, was released in 1989, followed by Arise in 1991 and Chaos A.D. in 1993. Sepultura's best-selling album Roots, was released in 1996 and debuted at number 27 on the Billboard 200.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ratamahatta</span> 1996 single by Sepultura

"Ratamahatta" is a song by Brazilian metal band Sepultura. It was the third and final single from the band's 1996 album Roots. It is also the last Sepultura single to feature founding frontman Max Cavalera. The song is amongst the band's best-known and remains a concert staple to this day. A music video was created for the song using stop-motion animation which explores the themes of the song. This video can be found on the VHS Sepultura: We Are What We Are, which was later released on DVD as part of Chaos DVD.

<i>A-Lex</i> 2009 studio album by Sepultura

A-Lex is the eleventh studio album by the Brazilian metal band Sepultura. It was released on January 23, 2009 by independent German record label SPV. This is the first album featuring drummer Jean Dolabella, since the departure of Igor Cavalera in 2006.

<i>Dante XXI</i> 2006 studio album by Sepultura

Dante XXI is the tenth studio album by the Brazilian metal band Sepultura, released in 2006 through SPV Records. It is a concept album based on the three sections of Dante Alighieri's The Divine Comedy; Inferno (hell), Purgatorio (purgatory) and Paradiso (paradise). This is the last album to feature Igor Cavalera on drums.

<i>Kairos</i> (album) 2011 studio album by Sepultura

Kairos is the twelfth studio album by the Brazilian metal band Sepultura. It was released on June 24, 2011 by independent German record label Nuclear Blast Records. This is the band's first release on the label, marking their first album not released on SPV/Steamhammer since 2001's Nation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eloy Casagrande</span> Brazilian drummer

Eloy Casagrande is a Brazilian musician, best known as the drummer of thrash metal band Sepultura and hard rock act Iahweh.

De La Tierra is a Latin American metal supergroup formed in late 2012 by Brazilian guitarist Andreas Kisser, Argentine singer and guitarist Andrés Giménez, Argentine bassist Sr. Flavio and American-born Cuban-Colombian drummer Alex González. Their self-titled debut album was released on 14 January 2014, through Roadrunner Records.

<i>Machine Messiah</i> (album) 2017 studio album by Sepultura

Machine Messiah is the fourteenth studio album by Brazilian metal band Sepultura, released on January 13, 2017. The album sold 1,900 units in the United States in its first week.

<i>Quadra</i> (album) 2020 studio album by Sepultura

Quadra is the fifteenth and final studio album by Brazilian heavy metal band Sepultura, released on February 7, 2020.It is a concept album based on numerology, the number four and its significance as depicted on Quadrivium. The band went to Sweden to work with producer Jens Bogren for the recording of Quadra.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Sepultura – announce upcoming album's title!". Archived from the original on October 30, 2013. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Sepultura Unveil Artwork + Track Listing for New Album".
  3. ↑ "Brazilian Guitarist Andreas Kisser: "The Spirit Of Sepultura Is Still Very Much Alive"".
  4. ↑ "Sepultura To Film Concert DVD With French Percussive Group Les Tambours du Bronx". August 14, 2012.
  5. ↑ @ROSS_ROBINSON (December 11, 2012). "lost tweet" (Tweet) – via Twitter.[ dead link ]
  6. 1 2 "Sepultura Reunite With 'Roots' Producer Ross Robinson For New LP - Music News, Reviews, Interviews and Culture". Music Feeds. April 9, 2013. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
  7. 1 2 3 "Derrick Green: 'New Sepultura Album Is Metal as Hell'".
  8. ↑ "Sepultura Reportedly Recorded Six Songs for the New Album".
  9. ↑ "Dave Lombardo To Guest On The Upcoming Sepultura Record - Metal Injection | Upcoming Releases". Metal Injection. June 14, 2013. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
  10. ↑ Hinch, Matt. "Sepultura - The Mediator Between Head and Hands Must Be The Heart Review". About.com. Archived from the original on August 10, 2014. Retrieved October 1, 2013.
  11. ↑ "The Mediator Between Head and Hands Must be the Heart - Sepultura | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic".
  12. ↑ Horn, Ray (September 23, 2013). "Sepultura - The Mediator Between Head and Hands Must Be The Heart Review". Blabbermouth.net . Retrieved October 1, 2013.
  13. ↑ "Sepultura: 'Mediator Between Head and Hands' First-Week Sales Revealed". November 6, 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.