I can still remember all the noise surrounding the release of Sepultura's Roots like it were yesterday. Although Chaos A.D. proved the band was undergoing an evolution almost everyone seemed to enjoy, it was Roots that ultimately made waves that would divide the band and their fans in more ways than one. Regardless of your thoughts concerning the band's NU direction, the album captivated the metal world with its delivery and indigenous influence.
It was clear the connection Sepultura shared to the Xavante natives during their visit to the tribe meant a lot more than simply coming up with an idea for the cover, themes, sounds and photos found in the release. However these images we spent hours looking at in the CD inlay, paired with the sounds found on tracks like Itsári are all we had to go by. That is until former Roadrunner A&R man, Monte Connor, mentioned this rare video had finally surfaced a few days ago, for the first time since 1996!
I assume the footage (none of which is in English) was filmed and edited for a later DVD release that never actually saw the light of day. Why did none of this footage make it onto the official music video release? Why was it not part of the albums' later editions? Why is this the first time we're seeing the footage of an experience that played such a pivotal role in the band? I don't know, but as an old school Sepultura fan, I'm stoked to have seen it at all.
