Totem (Soulfly album)

Totem
Studio album by
Soulfly
ReleasedAugust 5, 2022 (2022-08-05)
Recorded2021–2022
StudioPlatinum Underground in Mesa, Arizona
Genre
Length40:05
LabelNuclear Blast
Producer
Soulfly chronology
Ritual
(2018) 		Totem
(2022)

Totem is the twelfth studio album by American heavy metal band Soulfly. It was released on August 5, 2022, by Nuclear Blast. It is also the first album since 2002 to not feature long running lead guitarist Marc Rizzo who parted ways with the band in 2021. The album's producer Arthur Rizk, John Powers and Chris Ulsh contributed guitar solos.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Blabbermouth.net8.5/10[2]
Kerrang!3/5[3]
Metal Hammer[4]
Metal Injection8/10[5]

Dan Slessor of Kerrang! states that "Superstition" is "an absolute beast to kick things off, and there's a pleasingly chaotic air to much of what they pack into 40 minutes".[3]

Dom Lawson of Blabbermouth.net stated that the album "maintains the crushing heaviness of its immediate predecessors while managing to squeeze a bit of invention and perversity into the mix, too".[2]

Matt Mills of Metal Hammer wrote that "Max Cavalera gets with the times and ramps up the aggro on Soulfly's new album Totem".[4]

Max Heilman of Metal Injection wrote that "In true Soulfly fashion, the album culminates with a tapestry of shimmering synths, dense percussion arrangements, melodious brass and even vocoded singing—a bit of trippy weirdness to remind folks of where Soulfly's heart lies."[6]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Max Cavalera and Zyon Cavalera.

No.TitleLength
1."Superstition"3:14
2."Scouring the Vile" (feat. John Tardy)2:51
3."Filth Upon Filth"2:53
4."Rot in Pain"2:47
5."The Damage Done"3:58
6."Totem"5:31
7."Ancestors" (feat. John Powers)3:09
8."Ecstasy of Gold" (feat. John Powers)3:36
9."Soulfly XII"2:34
10."Spirit Animal" (feat. Chris Ulsh, Hornsman Coyote, Richie Cavalera & Leya Cavalera)9:32
Total length:40:05

Personnel

Charts

Chart performance for Totem
Chart (2022) Peak
position
Australian Digital Albums (ARIA)[7] 19
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[8] 25
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[9] 187
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[10] 61
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[11] 17
Polish Albums (ZPAV)[12] 36
Scottish Albums (OCC)[13] 32
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[14] 21
UK Album Downloads (OCC)[15] 40
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[16] 6
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[17] 5

References

  1. ^ https://www.allmusic.com/album/totem-mw0003715162
  2. ^ a b Lawson, Dom (2 August 2022). "Soulfly - Totem". Blabbermouth.net.
  3. ^ a b Slessor, Dan. "Album Review:Soulfly Totem". Kerrang!.
  4. ^ a b Mills, Matt (31 July 2022). "Soulfly's new album Totem has one mission – to bring the fury. And it succeeds". Metal Hammer – via Louder Sound.
  5. ^ Heilman, Max (August 2, 2022). "Album Review: SOULFLY Totem". Metal Injection. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  6. ^ "Album Review: SOULFLY Totem". 2 August 2022.
  7. ^ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 15 August 2022". The ARIA Report. No. 1693. Australian Recording Industry Association. August 15, 2022. p. 11.
  8. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Soulfly – Totem" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
  9. ^ "Ultratop.be – Soulfly – Totem" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  10. ^ "Ultratop.be – Soulfly – Totem" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
  11. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Soulfly – Totem" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
  12. ^ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
  13. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
  14. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Soulfly – Totem". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  15. ^ "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
  16. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
  17. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 13, 2022.