Live report SEPULTURA, JINJER, OBITUARY & JESUS PIECE, Inselpark Arena, Hamburg – November 1st, 2024

Sepultura are undoubtedly one of the most important thrash metal bands. The Brazilian metal force was founded in 1984 and made its debut in 1996 with the “Morbid Visions” album. I remember the first reviews of the album in the German metal media, which on the one hand showed appreciation for this untamed thrash metal, and on the other hand the passion of the four guys was probably stronger than their technical base. However, the first two albums served as a springboard for the release of the third album, “Beneath the Remains”, on Roadrunner Records, which showed a band that had developed and still maintained the raw energy.

Today we are all four decades further down the road and Sepultura are on their 40th anniversary tour, which is also being announced as a ” Farewell Tour”. Tonight the band plays at Hamburg’s Inselpark Arena and with the trash metal veterans on tour are Jinjer, Obituary and Jesus Piece.

Arriving at the venue means seeing a longer queue of metalheads waiting to get in, as tonight’s show is sold out. First on stage are Jesus Piece from Philadelphia. It’s a first for me to listen to the music of these guys, as they’ve never been on my radar before.

The guys have 30 minutes to get everyone in the hall in the right mood for this metal feast, and as tonight offers a wider variety of styles and genres. It’s an explosive mix of metalcore and hardcore that fills the room, all spiced up with an essence of death metal. This rough and brutal music is the right wake-up call for everyone and the first pits can be spotted. They aren’t going to be the only ones on this evening. Jesus Piece do a good job in getting the crowd into a good mood and the people appreciate the effort.

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And on we go with one of the most influential death metal veterans. Obituary are up next and the guys deliver. As always the band plays a great set. During the 40 minutes on stage the group goes back to the early days with “Slowly We Rot” and “Chopped in Half”, while the newer material can not be overlooked too. The massive “The Wrong Time” already sounds great on the album, but experiencing the song live makes it even heavier.

The usual opener “Redneck Stomp” starts this death metal party with a setlist that looks a bit different than in 2023 when the guys were touring with Heaven Shall Burn. Still, the five-piece from Florida touch every era of the band and that the fans enjoy this approach is shown by some crowdsurfers and a lot of headbanging. As usual, often covered in stage fog, the veterans know exactly what fans need and they give them what is expected. Full body death metal with groove and heaviness is what the guys throw into the room and everybody has fun. Obituary are one of the highlights of the evening as the music, energy and commitment melted into a metal outburst that started to bring some heat and sweat to the Inselpark Arena.

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It has been a while since I saw Jinjer live. It was back in 2019 when the band played at the Elbriot festival. So it is a good thing to see the Ukrainian metal powerhouse again and starting the show with ‘Sit Stay Roll Over’ is a good choice. It is a rather old song that provides a common ground for these 50 minutes of extremely powerful and progressive metalcore. What is even more thrilling tonight are the new songs, taken from the upcoming album “Duél”, which will be released in January 2025. It’s these songs getting people really excited.

Jinjer bring a different musical twist to the evening, playing after a death metal blast and before the classic thrash metal of Sepultura. It seems that some fans came just to see the band and enjoy the vibrant blend of metalcore and djent, always with layers and twists. The fusion of melodic moments with clean vocals that go along with raging outbursts is a recipe that creates excitement in the room and some “Jinjer, Jinjer, Jinjer” chants complete the picture.

Jinjer is a band that impressed tonight, playing a brutal, emotional and furious set that was enjoyed by the many. After such a metal blast it is now time for the headliners.

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As soon as “War Pigs” from Black Sabbath begins to blast out of the loudspeakers, everyone knows that we are only a few minutes away from Sepultura‘s anniversary show, and when “Polícia” follows, everyone in the Inselpark Arena is ready for some thrash metal.

Sepultura start their show with a bang. “Refuse/Resist” and “Territory” are two classics that get the people going.

One thing that immediately stands out is the excellent performance of Greyson Nekrutman. The 22 year old drummer provided an excellent and tight heartbeat for each of the songs. He is a hard hitting drummer who pummels his drum kit with passion and power. Combined with Paulo Xisto Pinto Jr.’s grooving bass, the foundation for each of the songs tonight couldn’t be better.

With “Slave New World” a third song from the “Chaos A.D.” album follows and it is obvious that everyone on stage is having a lot of fun tonight. Andreas Kisser is full of energy and on stage with 100% commitment. Besides his great guitar skills with well executed solo parts, Kisser doesn’t stand still for a second and the same goes for the mighty frontman Derrick Green. His stage presence is impressive. Tall and muscular, Green is visually the centre of the stage and metal runs through his veins.

Sepultura deliver a set that covers all eras of the band, as you would expect from a 40th anniversary tour. But it has to be said that the classics are the moments when the fans go crazy. Crowd surfing can be seen more often than with previous bands and what happens in front of the stage when songs like “Dead Embryonic Cells”, “Troops of Doom” and “Arise” are played is wild and soaked in sweat. Everyone enjoys these thrash metal anthems.

In the midst of these raging moments, the band also adds the instrumental ‘Kaiowas’ from the ‘Chaos A.D.’ album to their set. Supported by some friends, the Brazilian roots and tribal heritage are the focus. It is a well-placed moment, as it is different and also belongs to the band’s background.

So, what is still missing? Of course “Roots Bloody Roots”. The song is the second of the encores and the thunderous finale of a thrash metal night that showed once again why Sepultura belong to the pioneers of thrash metal and why the band has become one of the most influential groups in the genre. The four-piece delivered nearly two hours of breathtaking thrash metal, including classics that helped define an entire genre. Although the headline of this tour is “Farewell Tour”, it would be a pity if this was it … but who knows?