Bestial Devastation

Background and production

Because of Sepultura's collective lack of money, most of the instruments used on Bestial Devastation were borrowed from friends and acquaintances. The vocals on the introductory track "The Curse" were performed by a friend of the band; according to Igor Cavalera: "We had one of our friends come and do the voice for the intro ('The Curse') because he would do that voice without effects - he was kind of burping in a way. It was funny, so we had him come down and do it in the studio. I don't even remember his name!"

The band apparently fought with the producer during the recording. In an interview, Igor Cavalera said, "He wanted to clean everything up in the mix and we finally had to play him some records by Venom to show him that bands sounded this way."

Months before recording the Bestial Devastation EP, the band switched their lyrics from Portuguese to English. None of the band members knew how to write or speak the language, so they asked their friend Lino to translate their lyrics. An example of Lino's crude translation skills can be seen in one of the verses of the song "Antichrist":

Cover art

The front cover is from an 60 cm × 60 cm oil painting by ex-bassist of the band Chakal, Sérgio "Destroyer" Oliveira, also known as "AlJarrinha". The painting only uses red and black on a white canvas. The demon portrayed is heavily inspired by a Conan the Barbarian painting by Boris Vallejo. The cover is re-imagined in the Ghost album ''Prequelle'''s cover art by Zbigniew M. Bielak which contains most of the same elements.

Release

Bestial Devastation was released in December 1985, alongside Overdose's Século XX EP. Over the next few months, it sold 8,000 copies. Sepultura's surprising success was partly attributed to the first Rock in Rio, which took place in Rio de Janeiro in January 1985. This music festival's line-up included Whitesnake, AC/DC, Iron Maiden, Queen, Ozzy Osbourne and the Scorpions, and was responsible for Brazil's hard rock/heavy metal boom.

The EP was later reissued by Roadrunner Records on one CD with Morbid Visions in 1997. It included a demo version of the song "Necromancer" that was the first studio recording of the band, and a live version of "Antichrist" from the Chaos A.D. tour, re-written as "Anticop".

Bestial Devastation was re-recorded and released in 2023 by Cavalera Conspiracy, a project of brothers Max and Igor Cavalera. At the same time, they released a newly recorded version of the 1986 album, Morbid Visions.

Track listing

;Bestial Devastation

;Século XX

Personnel

Sepultura

• Max "Possessed" Cavalera – vocals, rhythm guitar
• Jairo "Tormentor" Guedz – lead guitar, bass (uncredited)
• Paulo "Destructor" Jr. – bass (credited, but did not perform)
• Igor "Skullcrusher" Cavalera – drums, percussion

Production

• Recorded and mixed in two days on 8 tracks in August 1985 at J. G. Estudios, Belo Horizonte
• Produced by Sepultura
• Back cover photo by Vânia Cavalera
• Remastered for the Roadrunner Records release by Michael Sarsfield at Frankford/Wayne, New York

References

Sources

• Barcinski, André & Gomes, Silvio (1999). Sepultura: Toda a História. São Paulo: Ed. 34.
• Sepultura (1986). Morbid Visions. [CD]. New York, NY: Roadrunner Records. The Sepultura Remasters (1997).

References

1. (June 28, 2024). "Review: "Cavalera: Bestial Devastation"". Sea of Tranquility.
2. Avelar, Idelber. (2011). "Metal Rules the Globe: Heavy Metal Music Around the World". [[Duke University Press]].
3. (April 14, 2023). "Cavalera to Re-Record Bestial Devastation and Morbid Visions After Joining Nuclear Blast".
4. Barcinski & Gomes (1999), page 31.
5. Sepultura, ''Morbid Visions'' / ''Bestial Devastation'' reissue liner notes (1997).
6. As above.
7. Barcinski & Gomes (1999), page 29 & 30.
8. (August 28, 2020). "PAPO METAL #12⚡️ Sérgio "Destroyer" (Chakal, ilustrador da capa do "Bestial")". MG METAL WARRIORS.
9. (July 1, 2020). "Storyteller - Sepultura album covers (Bestial Devastation, Morbid Visions & Schizophrenia)". Sepultura.
10. Rivadavia, Eduardo. [{{AllMusic
11. Barcinski & Gomes (1999), page 32.
12. Barcinski & Gomes (1999), page 34.
13. Barcinski & Gomes (1999), page 25.