Soulfly
Studio album by
Soulfly
ReleasedApril 21, 1998
StudioIndigo Ranch Studios (Malibu, California)
GenreNu metal[1][2]
Length68:03
72:50 (digipak)
LabelRoadrunner
Producer
Soulfly chronology
Soulfly
(1998) 		Tribe
(1999)
Alternative cover
Digipak edition
Singles from Soulfly
  1. "Eye for an Eye"
    Released: February 23, 1998
  2. "Umbabarauma"
    Released: May 5, 1998
  3. "Bleed"
    Released: December 23, 1998
  4. "Tribe"
    Released: January 21, 1999
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
Hit ParaderB[5]
NME7/10[6]

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.

Album information

The record features many guests, including members of Fear Factory, Limp Bizkit, Cypress Hill, Deftones, and Dub War.

"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,[7] 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.[8]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Max Cavalera except where stated; all music is composed by Max Cavalera except where stated

No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Eye for an Eye" (feat. Dino Cazares and Burton C. Bell)  3:35
2."No Hope = No Fear"  4:36
3."Bleed" (feat. Fred Durst and DJ Lethal)Max Cavalera, Fred Durst 4:07
4."Tribe"  6:02
5."Bumba" (feat. Los Hooligans)  3:59
6."First Commandment" (feat. Chino Moreno)  4:29
7."Bumbklaatt"  3:52
8."Soulfly" (instrumental)  4:49
9."Umbabarauma" (Jorge Ben Jor cover; feat. Los Hooligans)Jorge BenJorge Ben4:11
10."Quilombo" (feat. Benji Webbe and DJ Lethal)  3:44
11."Fire"  4:21
12."The Song Remains Insane"Max Cavalera, D-Low, João GordoMax Cavalera, Gordo, Jaba, Jao3:40
13."No" (feat. Christian Olde Wolbers)  4:00
14."Prejudice" (feat. Benji Webbe)Max Cavalera, Benji Webbe 6:52
15."Karmageddon" (containing hidden track "Sultao Das Matas")  5:44
Total length:68:03
Limited edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
16."Cangaceiro" 2:19
17."Ain't No Feeble Bastard" (Discharge cover)Terence Roberts1:39
18."The Possibility of Life's Destruction" (Discharge cover)Roberts1:28
Total length:72:50
Roadrunner Records 25th anniversary edition
No.TitleLength
19."Blow Away"4:07
Total length:76:57
Limited edition digipak bonus disc
No.TitleLength
1."Tribe" (Fuck Shit Up Mix)5:35
2."Quilombo" (Extreme Ragga Dub Mix)3:23
3."Umbabarauma" (World Cup Mix)3:43
4."No Hope = No Fear" (Live)4:16
5."Bleed" (Live)4:35
6."Bumba" (Live)3:27
7."Quilombo" (Live)4:08
8."The Song Remains Insane" (Live)2:20
9."Eye for an Eye" (Live at Indigo Ranch)3:32
10."Tribe" (Tribal Terrorism Mix)4:17
11."Umbabarauma" (Brasil 70 Mix)4:27
12."Quilombo" (Zumbi Dub Mix)3:24
13."Soulfly" (Eternal Spirit Mix)5:27
Roadrunner Records 25th anniversary reissue bonus disc (Live at Roskilde Festival 1998)
No.TitleLength
1."Eye for an Eye (Live)"3:46
2."No Hope = No Fear (Live)"4:08
3."Spit (Live)" (Sepultura cover)2:44
4."Bleed (Live)"4:28
5."Beneath the Remains/Dead Embryonic Cells (Live)" (Sepultura covers)3:41
6."Tribe (Live)"6:33
7."Bumba (Live)"3:10
8."Refuse/Resist (Live)" (Sepultura cover)3:43
9."Quilombo (Live)"4:00
10."Roots Bloody Roots (Live)" (Sepultura cover)3:24
11."Attitude (Live)" (Sepultura cover)3:51
12."The Song Remains Insane (Live)"3:54
13."No (Live)"5:08
14."Max Cavalera Spoken Word Performance" (Crossing Border Festival 1997)17:28
15."Spoken Word Jam" (Crossing Border Festival 1997)4:19
16."Eye for an Eye" (4-track Demo Version)3:29

Personnel

Charts

Chart performance for SoulFly
Chart (1998) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[9] 33
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[10] 28
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[11] 12
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[12] 45
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[13] 27
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[14] 18
French Albums (SNEP)[15] 14
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[16] 29
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[17] 14
Scottish Albums (OCC)[18] 26
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[19] 43
UK Albums (OCC)[20] 16
US Billboard 200[21] 79

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[22] Gold 35,000^
United States (RIAA)[23] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ "The 12 Most Underrated Nu Metal Albums". VH1. September 15, 2015. Archived from the original on June 4, 2022. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
  2. ^ "The 50 best nu metal albums of all time". April 2022.
  3. ^ Soulfly - Soulfly (CD, Album) at Discogs
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ Hit Parader Staff (September 1998). "Hit or Miss". Hit Parader. No. 408. Hit Parader Publications. p. 76 – via Internet Archive.
  6. ^ Cigarettes, Johnny (April 18, 1998). "Soulfly - Soulfly". NME. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000.
  7. ^ "Soulfly - Review by Goatfangs". Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives. April 15, 2012.
  8. ^ Cavalera, Max / Beebee, Steve. Kerrang! Magazine. #1213, June 07, 2008. Treasure Chest. An Intimate Portrait Of A Life in Rock. P. 52
  9. ^ "Soulfly - Soulfly". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
  10. ^ "Soulfly - Soulfly" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
  11. ^ "Soulfly - Soulfly" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
  12. ^ "Soulfly - Soulfly" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
  13. ^ "Soulfly - Soulfly" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
  14. ^ "Soulfly - Soulfly". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
  15. ^ "Soulfly - Soulfly" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
  16. ^ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
  17. ^ "Soulfly - Soulfly". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
  18. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
  19. ^ "Soulfly - Soulfly". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
  20. ^ "Soulfly | full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
  21. ^ "Soulfly Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  22. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2002 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  23. ^ "American album certifications – Soulfly – Soulfly". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
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