14. Sepultura- Chaos A.D.(1993)- Rock/Metal Album Track Ranking

It's time for Brazilian metal giants Sepultura to make their debut in my ranking series. My first choice from them was Chaos A.D., the album which marked a shift in sound from thrash/death to more groove-oriented metal, so here is.my track ranking/rating of this groundbreaking record: 

12. Kaiowas- 8(Solid)

11. Clenched Fist- 8.5(Very Good)

10. Amen- 8.5

  9. We Who Are Not as Others- 8.5

  8. Biotech is Godzilla- 8.5

  7. Manifest- 9(Great)

  6. Nomad- 9

  5. The Hunt- 9.5(Fantastic)

  4. Propaganda- 9.5

  3. Slave New World- 9.5

  2. Refuse/Resist- 10(Stellar)

  1. Territory- 10

  OVERALL RATING: 9.04

  The two tracks which open the album, Refuse/Resist and Territory, are also the strongest in my opinion, so I give them both a perfect 10. As in other cases, making up my mind on the winner was a really tough task, as they are both equally brilliant. Eventually I picked Territory as Number One because I find its slower, groovy rhythm, simple but remarkable chorus, and mind-blowing solo truly irresistible. Of course, Refuse/Resist is also an outstanding track, with an equally simple, yet effective chorus, full of attitude and rebellion against tyrannical authority, highly recommended to listen to whenever you feel the need to hear something truly empowering, so I can always change my mind and put în the first place.

This streak of amazing, empowering tunes continues with the third song, which is also my 3rd ranked track on the record, Slave New World, another harsh criticism of a society which often fails to respect a personal right to free speech and thought; the absolute highlight of the song is for me the line"We're not slaves, we're free", which în a few words perfectly embodies the spirit of metal.

The rest of the album continues to impress mostly with mid-tempo, groovy and undeniably catchy tracks, wirh the exception of the super fast and angry Biotech is Godzilla, which breaks this pattern. The all have plenty of harsh criticism of the wrongdoings of Brazilian society and the world în general, as Max Cavalera&Co. had plenty of sources of inspiration in all the bad things which made people's lives miserable. 

With an average of 9.04, Chaos A.D. is currently în the top half of the albums analyzed so far, so it's interesting to see whether it can beat the score of the previous couple of Sepultura albums which I'm going to rank and rate as well. Chaos A.D. is definitely an album worth listening to again and again, and one of the most important creations of Sepultura's illustrious career!

10. Pantera- Vulgar Display of Power(1992)- Rock/Metal Album Track Ranking Series

My ranking journey continues wih my first plunge into groove metal and its most famous reprezentative, the mighty Pantera. Here is my rating and ranking of the tracks from one of the Texan band's most successful albums, Vulgar Display of Power:

11. Rise- 8(solid)

10. No Good(Attack the Radical)- 8.5(very good)

   9. Live in a Hole- 8.5

   8. Regular People(Conceit)- 9(great)

   7. F***ing Hostile- 9

   6. This Love- 9

   5. Walk- 9

   4. Hollow- 9.5(fantastic)

   3. By Demons Be Driven- 9.5

   2. A New Level- 10(stellar)

   1. Mouth for War- 10

    OVERALL RATING: 9.09

   

The two masterful tracks which are 10 out of 10 for me, Mouth for War and A New Level, are interchangeable. They are both super heavy, have outstanding riffs and guitar solos, and they are empowering tunes, perfect to listen whenever you need to boost your morale and find that remarkable combination of strength and determination that only great metal songs can generate.

By Demons Be Driven lands in 3rd place thanks mostly to its fabulous chorus, while the semi-ballads Hollow and This Love get really high marks as they Pantera's somewhat more melancholic side, but they still have kickass heavy parts which are in great contrast with the slower, ballady sections.

As for Walk, probably Pantera's biggest "hit", it's only in 5th place on my list because it's less complex than the tracks above it, but still its main riff and anthemic chorus stick to my mind for quite a while after hearing it.

There are obviously no bad tracks on this awesome album, a unique blend of energy, agression and catchiness. No wonder it helped Pantera become hugely popular and carry on the flag of heavy music during the 90s, a dark period for metal otherwise. Vulgar Display of Power remains for me an essential listen, a staple of groove, thrashy metal which I will always enjoy hearing from top to bottom!