You will all probably go in shock reading this review if you saw my previous reviews defending the later era of Sepultura. I have come to say I no longer stand by the words said in them and I feel strange when I read them now. Life causes changes to a person and I'm no different. I'm now with the clubs who want Max Cavalera back and feel the band really isn't the same anymore now that Igor is gone. He recorded on this album but later left the band last summer. Sepultura's future is now cracking at the seems and if this is their last album, it is a pathetic end.

Don't believe any of the hype that lauds this is a return to form and it is the best work with Derrick Green handling the vocals. This does not harken even the tiniest bit to Beneath the Remains and Arise or even Chaos A.D. It sounds way more like a watered down version of the band's Nation album. While I still think Andreas Kisser is a great guitarist, he really has shot himself in the foot here. He cut a big chunk out of his guitar tone and his riff bag is running low. When I listen to the beautiful solo coda on Mass Hypnosis that he played so long ago, I'm left wondering how such a great guitarist could ever fallen down so hard. But it is Derrick Green and his hardcore styled bark where this album truly suffers. It just won't cut it any longer. While I defended him on his previous works, I can't do it now. I now feel the only time he ever tried was on Against. His vocals actually sounded inspired and he used unique patterns but since then, he has become a joke. He is using the same vocal patterns he did for Nation and Roorback, only with different words and he no longer uses clean vocals up front any more which makes his performance hollow and unemotional. His lack of vocal variety is something a story full of emotion and crafty writing passages fails to meet the demands of.

You would expect that since the band based this album off of a classic piece of fiction, "The Divine Comedy", you would be treated to stellar song writing, massive sounding instrumentation, and powerful visuals behind the music. Well, if you expected that, prepare for major disappointment. The beginning of "Dark Wood of Error" could have been a new classic by Sepultura but the band had to castrate the songs length terribly short into only 2 minutes and 18 seconds. It builds up to what you think may turn into a mind blowing thrash fest but instead, the band just rushes everything. Andreas strums out riffs that grasp the reins of thrash but he gets bucked off and we also have an idiot trying to nail all his words down as fast as he can. "Convicted In Life" has some promise with that crazy drum solo by Igor in the intro and that is the only time he does any unique drumming on the whole album. While the riffs are more competent than on the previous song and the solo intro has a cool atmosphere, it is still song writing worthy for 5 minutes that is crammed into a short time frame. When Derrick was asked for the meaning of this song in an interview by PETA, he basically whined that eating meat or being a farmer will send you to hell and that we should show compassion for living organisms. He doesn't seem to realize that those plants he loves to eat so much were once living and the organization he supports oppresses people instead of helping them. He is also basing his belief in religion which is a strongly subjective ideaology and has so many interpertations, who knows which is the right one to follow? Religion was also formulated in a time when mankind was very ignorant and had no concept of logic or reason. Earlier, he also blabbed about how if he left the band and the band got Max Cavalera to rejoin, it would be a slap in the face to him and the fans. Well, that would only be a slap in the face to you, not the fans. A lot of the fans hope to see you leave someday and now I'm one of them.

"False" and "Fighting On" both have melodic intros and it would have been better if they remained that way. The guitar tone is way too muddy and mopey for them to be good heavy songs. Derrick can't also keep his stupidity from further polluting "Fighting.." on which has the potential to be a good song. "From the first breath of life, to our final last breath...". Um, your last breath is your first and last. You only have that happen once, never again. I hope your last breath will come soon.

"Buried Words" is another song that could have been a face slashing thrash song because Andreas chunks out fast and forceful riffs but the song's length is cut short just like in "Dark Wood of Error". Derrick also really screws up the vibe when he screams out "Your not the king of the world! You let your ego get the best of you!". That may have worked on a Hatebreed album for it fits their style of stupid vocabulary but not an album that is meant to be a metal album. Probably the only time we can hear Paulo Jr. play is on pre-verse riff of "Repeating the Horror" which does have an unique atmosphere created by Andreas'es riffing but Derrick has to sh*t out his tired hardcore bark from his @$$ again, which kills any emotion that was desperate to be there, and Paulo is then pulled far back in the mix again.

There are some interludes placed out through the album but they are short and have little play worthy value. It would have been better to leave them off of the album entirely and have full songs instead. One of them even gets the story out of order. The one called "Limbo" should have been placed after "Convicted..." since it is the first circle of Hell while "Convicted.." details entering Hell and it is stated in the story before Dante reaches Dis but the band placed it in front of "Ostia" which happens in Purgatory. Even though this album as a whole is weak, the bulk of the songs is actually more competent than "Ostia". The groove is very flimsy and trite. The orchestration of strings also isn't used enough or correctly.

This album and Igor Cavalera's departure from the band have to be the biggest let downs of this year. Considering the time the band had to write this album (Igor mentioned they started writing it during the summer of 2004), you'd expect it to sound very epic and mind blowing but we get something that only sounds like a week was spent writing it. It is also surprising that the caliber of musicianship Andreas Kisser and Igor Cavalera have could falter so badly. Roorback was a better album than this and it was the right direction musically they were taking but with Dante XXI, they took a shockingly bad stop and slipped down a mountain. I hope the band will kick Derrick's @$$ out and come to good terms with the Cavalera's someday. This album gets two stars and rounds up a bit only because it is Sepultura and Andreas and Igor show some moments of goodness. But even the flashes of minor goodness from Andreas and Igor is not enough to save this monstrosity from Derrick's performance that is about as exciting as a dead dog. I hope this album won't be their last, not only just the last with Igor but as Sepultura either. If it is, it is a poor end to a great band.

Recommended: No