Quadra (album)

Quadra is the fifteenth studio album by Brazilian metal band Sepultura, released on February 7, 2020.[1] It is a concept album based on numerology, the number four and its significance as depicted on Quadrivium. The band went to Sweden to work with producer Jens Bogren for the recording of Quadra.

Quadra
Studio album by
Sepultura
ReleasedFebruary 7, 2020
RecordedAugust–October 2019
StudioFascination Street Studios, Örebro, Sweden
Genre
Length51:14
Label
ProducerJens Bogren
Sepultura chronology
Machine Messiah
(2017)		 Quadra
(2020)
Singles from Quadra
  1. "Isolation"
    Released: November 8, 2019
  2. "Last Time"
    Released: December 20, 2019
  3. "Means to an End"
    Released: February 7, 2020

The album is the band's most successful record since 1998's Against, charting in 17 countries and entering the top 20 in seven countries (eight, considering the UK Rock & Metal Albums Chart). It is also their most successful album in Germany and Switzerland to date, exceeding the chart positions of Roots (1996), with positions number five and number 13, respectively.

Concept

Guitarist Andreas Kisser explained that the concept of the album is based on Quadrivium, which are the four subjects, or arts (namely arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy), taught after teaching the trivium. The word is Latin, meaning four ways.

Based on this, the band divided the 12-track album into four sections of three songs each. The first being thrash metal songs, based on the classic Sepultura sound. The second section is inspired by the groove-percussion oriented sound the band explored in Roots. The third part has more progressive songs inspired by the track "Iceberg Dances" from Machine Messiah, but is not all instrumental tracks. Side four features slow-paced and melodic tracks, similar to the song Machine Messiah.[2]

Quadra is also the Portuguese term for sports court. Kisser stated that "everyone grows up in a different Quadra, shaped by rules and definitions. We are all determined by these concepts, our relationships, our careers. Our whole lives."[1]

When Derrick Green was asked during an interview with BraveWords "Which Sepultura album are you most proud of?", he replied, "Definitely Quadra. It's the latest album, and we really worked so hard on it. We have so many different elements from the past that have helped us get to here – where we are at right now. So, without a doubt in my mind, this is the strongest album that we've done together. And I'm extremely proud of it."[3]

Reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic77/100[4]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
Blabbermouth.net9/10[6]
Exclaim!8/10[7]
The Arts Desk8/10[8]
Metalfan (NL)83%[9]
Metal Storm8.0/10[10]
Zwaremetalen (NL)85%[11]
Ultimate Guitar8.7/10[12]

Quadra received positive reviews. Thom Jurek of AllMusic wrote in a review: "Quadra is Sepultura's first album to actually stand on equal qualitative footing with their classic trilogy. It offers a series of tough, meaty, adventurous songs, that abundantly indulge raw power and emotion. Bogren's production and Sepultura's execution are in perfect balance. Further, Green delivers a career-defining performance here. It is the first Sepultura album in decades to measure favorably alongside the band's classic output".[5] Blabbermouth's Dom Lawson writes that Quadra "plainly and loudly showcases the sound of a band at the height of their powers, both in terms of creativity and musicianship" and calls the album "one of their finest records yet".[6]

The website Collector's Room included Quadra on the top 50 Brazilian metal albums of all time.[13]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Derrick Green.

Quadra track listing
No.TitleMusicLength
1."Isolation"
4:56
2."Means to an End"
  • Kisser
  • Casagrande
4:39
3."Last Time"
  • Kisser
  • Casagrande
4:27
4."Capital Enslavement"
  • Kisser
  • Casagrande
3:40
5."Ali"
  • Kisser
  • Casagrande
4:12
6."Raging Void"
  • Kisser
  • Casagrande
3:57
7."Guardians of Earth"
  • Kisser
  • Casagrande
5:11
8."The Pentagram" (instrumental)
  • Kisser
  • Casagrande
5:20
9."Autem"
  • Kisser
  • Casagrande
4:06
10."Quadra" (instrumental)Kisser0:46
11."Agony of Defeat"
  • Kisser
  • Casagrande
5:51
12."Fear, Pain, Chaos, Suffering" (featuring Emmily Barreto)
  • Kisser
  • Casagrande
4:09
Total length:51:14
Alive in Brazil (Digipack and Earbook bonus disc)
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Choke" (from Against, 1998)Kisser
3:46
2."Convicted in Life" (from Dante XXI, 2006)
  • Kisser
  • Green
  • Kisser
  • Green
  • Cavalera
3:31
3."Sepulnation" (from Nation, 2001)
  • Green
  • Cavalera
  • Kisser
  • Cavalera
4:41
4."Apes of God" (from Roorback, 2003)
  • Kisser
  • Green
  • Kisser
  • Cavalera
  • Green
3:22
5."Sepultura Under My Skin" (from Sepultura Under My Skin, 2015)
  • Kisser
  • Green
Kisser3:45
6."Manipulation of Tragedy" (from The Mediator..., 2013)
  • Green
  • Kisser
  • Kisser
  • Casagrande
4:19
7."The Vatican" (from The Mediator..., 2013)
  • Green
  • Kisser
  • Kisser
  • Casagrande
6:34
8."Cut-Throat" (from Roots, 1996)Max CavaleraSepultura2:55
Total length:32:28

Personnel

Sepultura

Guests
  • Emmily Barreto − guest vocals on track 12
  • Paulo Cyrino − heavy dubstep elements on track 5
  • Kadu Fernandes − percussion on track 4
  • Francesco Ferrini − orchestral and key arrangements on tracks 3 and 12
  • Ingrid Misgeld − conductor of the Chorus Mysticus choir
  • Gunnar Misgeld − choir arrangements on track 1, 3, 7 and 11
  • Robertinho Rodrigues − acoustic bass
  • Renato Zanuto − keyboards, choir arrangements, orchestral and string arrangements on tracks 1, 4, 7 and 11
  • Bruna Zneti − violins

Charts
Sales chart performance for Quadra
Chart (2020) Peak
position
Australian Digital Albums (ARIA)[14] 19
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[15] 17
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[16] 59
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[17] 54
French Albums (SNEP)[18] 63
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[19] 5
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[20] 12
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[21] 225
Polish Albums (ZPAV)[22] 23
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[23] 11
Scottish Albums (OCC)[24] 31
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[25] 40
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[26] 13
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[27] 5

See also

References
  1. "SEPULTURA- start pre-order for "Quadra"!". Nuclearblast.de. November 21, 2019. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  2. "SEPULTURA - Derrick & Andreas on division of album + working with Jens Bogren (OFFICIAL TRAILER)". YouTube.com. January 9, 2020. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  3. Prato, Greg. "Sepultura's Derrick Green on Quadra – "Without a Doubt in My Mind, This Is the Strongest Album That We've Done Together"". BraveWords. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
  4. "Reviews for Quadra by Sepultura". Metacritic. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  5. Jurek, Thom. "Quadra - Sepultura". AllMusic. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  6. Lawson, Dom. "CD Reviews - Quadra Sepultura". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  7. Morin, Max. "Sepultura Quadra". Exclaim!. Retrieved February 16, 2020.
  8. Draganova, Asya. "Album: Sepultura - Quadra". The Arts Desk. Retrieved February 16, 2020.
  9. Matthijs. "Sepultura - Quadra". Metalfan.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  10. "Sepultura - Quadra review". Metal Storm. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
  11. Van Durme, Maud (February 7, 2020). "Sepultura - Quadra". ZwareMetalen.com (in Dutch). Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  12. Lausch, Travis. "Quadra Review". Ultimate Guitar. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  13. "Top Collectors Room: os 50 melhores discos do metal brasileiro". Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  14. "ARIA Australian Top 50 Digital Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. February 17, 2020. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
  15. "Austriancharts.at – Sepultura – Quadra" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  16. "Ultratop.be – Sepultura – Quadra" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
  17. "Ultratop.be – Sepultura – Quadra" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
  18. "Lescharts.com – Sepultura – Quadra". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  19. "Offiziellecharts.de – Sepultura – Quadra" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  20. "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2020. 7. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  21. "セパルトゥラのアルバム売上ランキング". Oricon. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  22. "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  23. "Portuguesecharts.com – Sepultura – Quadra". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  24. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
  25. "Spanishcharts.com – Sepultura – Quadra". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  26. "Swisscharts.com – Sepultura – Quadra". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  27. "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
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