Without rehashing the whole episode surrounding the split about the time some refer to as the pinnacle of Sepultura's fame, _Roots_, the Cavalera brothers parted company; Max formed the slapdash Soulfly proxy project and Igor remained at his drum post with Sepultura. Cavalera Conspiracy is the contemporary adaptation from that past and certainly a creditable effort to bury the hatchet between the brothers. Bringing into the Cavalera Conspiracy fold is Marc Rizzo (Soulfly / Ill Niño) lending his skill on lead guitar duties and Joe Duplantier (Gojira) handles the low end responsibilities on bass.

Less tribal than what Sepultura became and what Soulfly always was, _Inflikted_ is forcefully upfront, direct and severely authoritative. Be that as it may, songs like track eight, "Bloodbrawl", intertwine elements of crushing power with an appreciated element of musical timbre that some might not expect from a force like CC.

The song "Inflikted" sets things in motion for this release, priming a straightforward incursion that clearly states that this isn't any manufactured or predetermined bullshit by any stretch of the imagination. "Inflikted" is followed by "Sanctuary", the first video offering from CC.

The guest vocals on the attention-grabbing "Dark Ark" are compliments of Max's step-son, Ritchie Cavalera. As long as we are name dropping here, "Ultra-Violent", the fifth track, boasts the talents of Rex Brown; does his work with Pantera even need any explanation, anyone?

The masterful bass so solidly sounding out on "Hex", as well as the sheer blatant catchiness of "Bloodbrawl" and "Hearts of Darkness", make those three true standouts on _Inflikted_. Minus the puerile, sophomoric lyrical repetition of "Nevertrust" -- boasting great guitar work, nevertheless -- CC has a winner here.

There is some very accomplished guitar mastery from Rizzo and Max on this offering, with some of the best of it surfacing during the last track, "Must Kill". The hard-hitting heavy weight and driving nature of that song, with its well timed aspects of an expressionist tone, ooze aptitude and proficiency -- a great note to end the whole _Inflikted_ escapade on.

As a parting thought, folks, if your cells, platelets and hemoglobin aren't sufficiently pissed off after _Inflikted_'s forty plus minutes of particular metal choleric contentiousness, then you are already dead. Just thought you'd like to know.