It’s been a very long thirteen years since brothers, Max and Igor Cavalera, wrote music together. While many fans still long for a full SEPULTURA reunion, fans have CAVALERA CONSPIRACY to enjoy in the meantime. Starting off with the opening track, “Inflikted,” the band set the tone for the album with an immediate shot of adrenaline - uptempo, hard hitting metal/punk. And do Max and Igor sound great together? Fuck yeah, they do. They lock in perfectly, and it’s obvious that they haven’t lost a single step (just listen to Dark Ages and Dante XXI). Musically, the album sounds a lot like the return to Max’s (and Igor’s) brutal/extreme roots that was SOULFLY’s last album, Dark Ages. However, here there may be even more of those fast, brutal riffing of early SEPULTURA. Also, there are a healthy helping of new riffing styles that have never been heard before in Max’s back catalogue. Igor not only lays down a top-notch metal/punk foundation for the songs but also adds his unique flare for tribal drumming in numerous parts of Inflikted. His godly precision, skill, and power are definitely steps above any of today’s flavor of the month metal drummers. Lead guitarist Marc Rizzo plays a pivotal role with his excellent shredding skills. His lead work takes the songs to another level and can be found in not only the solo sections, but intros and main riffs of songs. GOJIRA vocalist/guitarist Joe Duplantier’s most noticeable contribution lays in his MORBID ANGEL-worshipping riff contribution in “Ultra-Violent” and his backing vocals in “Dark Ark” and the aforementioned song. Inflikted, as a whole, is just a very strong package of catchy, memorable songs that possesses the urgency of those classic punk/hardcore records that Max and Igor grew up on in Belo Horizonte. Is Inflikted the best album of 2008? Maybe not, but it might be the most charismatic, memorable, and relevant album. (Roadrunner Records)