By Stephen Cummings
(Image: Stephen Cummings)
What can you say about Sepultura? Absolute legends.
More than four decades into their career, the Brazilian metal giants can still put on a cracking show. Friday’s Bloodstock appearance was billed as their final performance on UK soil — but let’s be honest, do bands ever really retire?
Not in metal, they don’t. Just look at Slayer, Ozzy Osbourne and Nine Inch Nails — how many supposedly final bows, retirements and hiatuses have we seen overturned?
Sepultura tore through a career-spanning set that celebrated every era of their formidable back catalogue. “Kairos”, “Attitude”, “Kaiowas” and “Dead Embryonic Cells” all sounded immense, while “Territory” and “Refuse/Resist” sent an already fired-up Bloodstock crowd into proper chaos.
The appearance of Biohazard and friends during the tribal percussion assault of “Kaiowas” made an already memorable moment feel even bigger. By the time the band reached the closing combination of “Ratamahatta” and the inevitable “Roots Bloody Roots”, the entire field seemed to be moving as one. Honestly, it was canny special.
Derrick Green remains a commanding presence, while Andreas Kisser delivered those unmistakable riffs with enough force to level the main stage, along with his signature wah-drenched solos he loves to unleash.
However throughout the set It was difficult to ignore the imagery playing across the backdrop. Much of it appearing to be AI-generated — although I’m more than happy to be proven wrong if AI was not used. Sepultura were far from the only band using visuals of this kind over the weekend and it will undoubtedly divide opinion from attendees. For some, it adds to the spectacle; for others, it feels strangely soulless beside music created with such obvious passion.
That debate aside, this was a celebration of one of metal’s most influential bands. If this really was Sepultura’s final UK appearance, they went out exactly as they should: loud, powerful and with Bloodstock at their feet.
Legends? Why Aye, absolutely.
But once this farewell tour is complete, one question will remain: could we eventually see the classic line-up return, with Max Cavalera back in the fold?
After all, this is heavy metal. Never say never, man.
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