Nation

Brazilian metal titans Sepultura were always more interesting than most of their head-banging brethren. Their music is heavy, loud, and fast, but underneath all their hardcore trappings there’s a dynamic, progressive sense of groove and rhythm that keeps even their most eardrum-blasting moments from sounding like mere noise. Having survived the defection of lead singer Max Cavalera in solid style with 1998’s Against, the band seems once again ready to push the boundaries of heavy music on the politically charged Nation. They incorporate elements of dub (“Tribe to a Nation”), new wave (“Politricks”), and even classical music (“Valtio”) into their vitriolic scream’n’shred assault, and on tracks like the grungy “The Ways of Faith” and the ominous “Water” new-ish frontman Derrick Green even does something that no one in Sepultura has ever done before: He sings—quite well, too.