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Omen
Studio album by Soulfly
Released	May 18, 2010
Recorded	November 2009
Studio	Edge of the Earth Studios (Los Angeles, California)
Genre	Thrash metal groove metal death metal
Length	40:35 (regular edition) 51:39 (special edition)
Label	Roadrunner
Producer	Max Cavalera, Logan Mader
Soulfly chronology
Conquer (2008) Omen (2010) Enslaved (2012)
Singles from Omen
"Rise of the Fallen" Released: April 20, 2010
Alternative cover
Special edition cover

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
About.com
Allmusic
Rock Sound
Blabbermouth
Sputnik Music
Ultimate-Guitar.com
PopMatters

Omen is the seventh studio album by American heavy metal band Soulfly. It was recorded in November 2009 and was released first in Japan on May 18, 2010, and on May 25, 2010, in other parts of the world. It was released on May 24, 2010, in parts of Europe. It is the last album to feature bassist Bobby Burns and drummer Joe Nuñez, who were replaced by Asesino frontman Tony Campos and former Borknagar drummer David Kinkade in mid-2011. At just over forty and a half minutes, it is the band's second shortest album; the shortest is Archangel at thirty-six and a half minutes.

Background

Soulfly entered the Edge of the Earth Studios in Los Angeles, California on November 6, 2009, to begin recording their seventh album with Max Cavalera and Logan Mader both producing. Through a series of streaming web video updates, frontman Max Cavalera revealed on November 13, 2009, that the album would be called Omen and would feature guest appearances by Tommy Victor of Prong and Greg Puciato of The Dillinger Escape Plan. Additionally, the album features performances on drums from Max's first son Zyon Cavalera on a b-side cover of Sepultura's "Refuse-Resist" and his youngest son Igor Cavalera Jr. on a cover of Excel's "Your Life, My Life".

The seven figures in album art of Omen (on the standard edition three figures are on the cover, and four are on the back), created by David Ho, are meant to represent that this is Soulfly's seventh studio album. Each of the seven figures, inspired by the fictional Star Wars creatures the Tusken Raiders, were also meant to represent each of the seven deadly sins from what they hold in their hands. In fact, Cavalera saw Ho's stylized depiction of Tusken Raiders created for LucasArts and requested an album cover similar in style.

Reception

Jay H. Gorania of about.com praised the album, "it is brutal and fast, though not necessarily as intense or interesting as the releases marking Cavalera's early and mid-period work. Yet this is a transition from what has become a mediocre band to one that sounds vital and refreshing." Gregory Heaney of AllMusic said "Omen is like thrash metal comfort food." PopMatters rated this album 5 out of 10 stars, saying "Cavalera sounds more focused than usual, his lyrics are more angry than spiritual, the band leans more towards thrash than nu-metal, and the production keeps things rather simple, clean and loud as all mainstream metal, but always emphasizing the physicality of the rhythm riffing." Sputnik thought this album is great, because it "exhibits the same rough formula but unlike other Soulfly albums these tracks display a higher level of writing style, musical ability and a better use of creative ideas in a more mature and cohesive manner."

Songs

"Rise of the Fallen" features Static-X-like riff with cyber tones, then a sitar signals the beginning of death metal riff. The song features Greg Puciato of The Dillinger Escape Plan. "Great Depression" plays such thrashy riff that it sounded like train derailing, before abruptly settling down into Hellhammer-like riff for chorus. "Kingdom" is a unique song for Soulfly due to melodic vocals by Max Cavalera. "Vulture Culture" is a rhyming song title that has hints of Nailbomb sounds and punky riffs.

Track listing

All songs composed by Max Cavalera, except "Rise of the Fallen" by Max Cavalera and Greg Puciato, "Lethal Injection" by Max Cavalera and Tommy Victor.

Personnel

Soulfly

• Max Cavalera - vocals, four-string guitar, sitar
• Marc Rizzo - lead guitar, flamenco guitar
• Bobby Burns - bass
• Joe Nunez - drums, percussion

Additional personnel

• Branden Krull - keyboards
• Greg Puciato - vocals on "Rise of the Fallen"
• Tommy Victor - vocals on "Lethal Injection"
• Zyon Cavalera - drums on "Refuse/Resist"
• Igor Cavalera - drums on "Your Life, My Life"

Production

• Logan Mader - producer, engineering, mixing, mastering

Chart performance

See also

• Bed Bath & Beyond, the store punned by Bloodbath & Beyond
• "The Cartridge Family", a Simpsons episode that uses the name "Bloodbath and Beyond" for a fictional store

References

1. ^ Jay H. Gorania (2010). "Soulfly Omen Review". About.com Heavy Metal. Retrieved May 19, 2014.
2. ^ Allmusic review
3. Rock Sound review
4. Blabbermouth review Archived July 22, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
5. ^ Sputnik Music review
6. Review at Ultimate-Guitar.com
7. ^ Adrien Begrand (June 3, 2010). "Soulfly: Omen". Review. PopMatters. Retrieved May 19, 2014.
8. ^ "Soulfly Tour With Prong, Incite & Rotting Corpse, Album Out in May". Roadrunner Records. Retrieved March 4, 2010.
9. Soulfly Reveals New Bass Player Tony Campos
10. Jon Wiederhorn. "Soulfly Returning to Studio in November". Noisecreep. Retrieved October 22, 2009. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
11. Robert Pasabini (November 13, 2009). "Exclusive SOULFLY In-Studio Update (including tentative album title)". MetalInjection.net. Retrieved November 14, 2009.
12. Bobby Burns. "7th album in 2009???". soulflyweb.com. Retrieved February 27, 2009.
13. DiNitto, Jay (May 26, 2010). "Soulfly, 'Omen' -- Album Art of the Week". Noisecreep. AOL Music. Retrieved May 28, 2010.
14. "Omen Soulfly". CD Reviews. Blabbermouth.net. June 20, 2010. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
15. "SOULFLY - Omen". Reviews. APESHIT. July 29, 2010. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
16. ^ "Soulfly: 'Omen' Limited-Edition CD/DVD Details Revealed". Blabbermouth.net. Roadrunner. March 26, 2010. Archived from the original on January 30, 2016. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
17. ^ "Soulfly - Omen". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
18. "Soulfly - Omen" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
19. "Soulfly - Omen" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
20. "Soulfly - Omen" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
21. "Soulfly - Omen" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
22. "Soulfly - Omen". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
23. "Soulfly - Omen" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
24. "Offizielle Deutsche Charts" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
25. "Soulfly - Omen". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
26. "Soulfly - Omen". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
27. "Soulfly | full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
28. "Soulfly Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 7, 2021.

• 2010 albums
• Soulfly albums
• Albums produced by Max Cavalera
• Roadrunner Records albums
• Albums produced by Logan Mader
• Albums with cover art by Travis Smith (artist)
• Seven deadly sins in popular culture