Soulfly (album)


Soulfly is the debut album by the metal band Soulfly, released on April 21, 1998 through Roadrunner Records. The record was released in memory of frontman Max Cavalera's murdered stepson and the first album featuring Cavalera since leaving Sepultura two years prior. Both CDs have the message In Loving Memory Dana printed across them. The album 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, 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.

Track listing

Personnel

;Soulfly
;Additional musicians
;Production
;Artwork
Chart Peak
position
US Billboard 20079

Certifications