Max Cavalera is one of the busiest men in metal. At any given time, he’s recording or touring with any number of bands/projects, like Soulfly, Cavalera Conspiracy, and Killer Be Killed. So what does he do in the 15 month downtime that is the COVID pandemic? He starts another project of course! His latest foray is Go Ahead and Die, and it’s a real family affair. Joining Max on their self titled debut is his son, Igor Jr., on guitars, bass, and vocals, as well as veteran drummer Zach Coleman (Black Curse, Khemmis).
Now while Cavalera’s status as a metal legend is undisputed, I was slightly hesitant to check this album out. Why? Aside from a few songs on Chaos A.D., Sepultura ends for me with Arise. I never cared much for Soulfly, the musical successor to Roots, and Cavalera Conspiracy’s catalog tends to be hit or miss. Well I’m glad I put my hesitation to the side because this is the album I’ve been waiting my entire life for Max Cavalera to make. After all these years, he’s finally returned to his roots…and I’m not talking about the “bloody” ones.
The initial press release for Go Ahead and Die described it as “death and thrash metal, with early Celtic Frost influences and a punk attitude”. As promising as that description is on paper, I didn’t hold my breath. After all, it’s a PR firm’s job to make ANYTHING sound great, even when it isn’t (I should know as I originally majored in communications). Imagine my shock when upon the first few seconds of the opening track, “Truckload of Dead Bodies”…holy shit! That press release wasn’t joking! This is indeed seething, thrashy, punk ridden death metal with meaty Celtic Frost breakdowns for good measure. Igor Jr. spits venom behind the mic sounding exactly like his father circa Beneath the Remains.
The music on Go Ahead and Die is among the angriest and most aggressive in the Cavalera canon, with socially conscious lyrics to accompany the metalpunk soundtrack. The influence of Discharge and Napalm Death runs rampant throughout, particularly on the frenzied “I.C.E. Cage”, the mosh mania that is “Prophets Prey”, and the most punked up cut, if only for its title alone, “Worth Less Than Piss”. The lead riff of “El Cuco” even sounds similar to the lead riff of Napalm Death’s “Scum”, albeit played by Tom G. Warrior. Nearly every riff on this album could’ve been written and played by Warrior had he traded his corpsepaint for studs. Together, Max and Igor Jr. honor the Swiss demigod with an album’s worth of militant mosh riffs, blackened breakdowns, and pure thrash insanity.
The only thing holding Go Ahead and Die back is its length. Does a punk influenced release really have to be 43 minutes long? Absolutely not. This album could’ve clocked in at 30 minutes and been even more effective, but again, I fail to take into consideration that Nuclear Blast may have required 40 minutes of material. Or maybe Max really did have that much to say with this project. For the sake of all things old school and true, I hope he stays in this 80s metalpunk mode for the foreseeable future. It’s too promising to simply let go!
6 out of 10
Label: Nuclear Blast
Genre: Death/Thrash Metal
For fans of: Sepultura, Celtic Frost, Napalm Death