I believe in our fate - we don't need to fake

Continuing my trip back in time through the album charts

03/03/96 : Roots - Sepultura


I can assure you I can tell you nothing about Sepultura - I'm guessing for either some kind of reggae nonsense or some kind of world music nonsense.

And, oh lordy, am I wrong!  If you know what this is, then you're chuckling at me right now - if you don't, then you're probably in the best place you're gonna be with this.  It's heavy metal (complete with the shouty roar vocals I really don't like) with a slight world music tinge to it.  And, seriously, who wants that?  Well, I guess quite a few people did given where we are in the charts this week - but actually, from what I heard on #AOTD, it feels like this is also pretty up to date with what the people who like this sort of thing like these days.  But I'm really not the best person to comment on this - if you like it, then you like and, if you don't know it then just take my word for it that you won't like it.  And no, we never owned it - unless my lovely wife has a secret copy squirrelled aware somewhere.  She assures me that's not the case - 12/44.

We're at #4 with a new entry this week - very much its peak on a five week run.  And then it managed one week in the run up to Xmas - obviously people buying it as a present for their granny.  The rest of the top five were Oasis, Alanis, M People and Joan Osborne (another new entry, which I would have much preferred to listen to) and that was it for new entries for the top ten - the next was 2Pac at #32 with an album I found surprisingly, nay astonishlngly, enjoyable.

Wikipedia has considerably more than I was expecting (184 milliPeppers), most of it going into great depths about how the album has its basis in Xavante culture.  Obviously, I didn't bother reading all of that - but I did notice how Gojira didn't deny similarities with some of this album from 2021 which backs up my comment about how contemporary it feels (from a position of very little knowledge on my part, admittedly).  The critics loved it and the public went mad for it too, with it getting to the top ten in quite a few European countries and even as high as #27 in the US, selling two million copies globally.

"Customers also listened to" Machine Head, Napalm Death, Slayer and Pantera - I'm sure they're all lovely lads.  Actually, Sepultura come across as quite thoughtful individuals in the Wikipedia entry - they did quite a lot of cultural research whilst creating this album, which I'm sure provided quite a few Spinal Tap moments at times, but at least they tried.  And a lot of people appreciated the outcome - even if I'm not included in that number.

25/02/96 - I tried to like it, honest!
10/03/96 - Not the most interesting album ever

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