Review by Daniel for Sepultura - Third World Posse (1992)

By 1992 Brazilian thrash metallers Sepultura had quite literally changed the world, at least as far as the then-struggling thrash metal genre went. A commanding grunge rock wave had all but washed away the once thriving thrash metal scene with most of the more senior bands now resorting to dilution in order to stay afloat but these four heroes from Belo Horizonte had managed to not only stay afloat but to give the thrash world the shot in the arm it so sorely needed. I first discovered Sepultura through their classic 1989 third album "Beneath The Remains" & quickly indulged in their much rawer earlier material, all of which I really enjoyed. 1991's inspired "Arise" album hit me for six &, in doing so, almost managed to match "Beneath The Remains" (which still sits in my top five for the thrash metal genre overall to this day) for sheer class. So, needless to say that when I heard that Sepultura were coming to my hometown of Sydney in 1992 it saw my excitement levels reaching a fever pitch. The fact that these foreigners felt the occasion was significant enough to warrant a dedicated Australian tour E.P. left a 16 year-old me feeling somehow special so, despite the fact that "Third World Posse" didn't contain much in the way of new original material, I picked it up on CD as soon as it was released & indulged in it consistently throughout the next few years too. It's been eons since I've listened to it now but I thought I'd keep my obsessive completist urges at bay by giving it a revisit this week.

"Third World Posse" is a five-track, fifteen-minute E.P. that acts as somewhat of an extended single that's built around one of Sepultura's most popular songs in "Dead Embryonic Cells" which was drawn from the "Arise" album. It's backed with a cover version of Dead Kennedy's "Drug Me" & three live recordings that would appear to be taken from the same Barcelona show that made up the outstanding 1992 live video "Under Siege (Live at Barcelona)" which I also bought. While I've always been a big fan of "Dead Embryonic Cells", I have to admit that I've never felt that it was one of the strongest tracks on "Arise" & don't think of it as the classic that most people seem to. It's certainly a very solid inclusion though & it has the desired effect in kicking off an E.P. which was obviously intended to draw in a new audience through a fairly cheap release that coincided with their tour. Sepultura's version of "Drug Me" is also very impressive, coming across as a high-octane crossover thrash assault that's chock-full of energy & aggression. The three live cuts are all of a very high quality too to be honest with the magnificent "Inner Self" from the "Beneath The Remains" album unsurprisingly representing the highlight of the EP. "Troops of Doom" had been given a tidy-up during a session that took place in August 1990 & the version we receive here is much more in line with that re-recording than it is with the youthful enthusiasm of the original that appeared on Sepultura's 1986 debut album "Morbid Visions". It's a really good thrash song in this format too & it isn't let down by the closing track either, a very successful heavy metal cover version of the title track from Motorhead's 1986 "Orgasmatron" album that sees the band taking the song in a slightly different direction & one that saw it taking on a whole new personality.

So you see, while "Third World Posse" may not offer anything terribly new for the more experienced & obsessive fans out there, it certainly served its purpose very well. For me personally, it acted as somewhat of a calling of the guard before one of the live shows that I've placed at the very top rung of my metal experiences over the years. Sepultura may never have been the same after that tour but I guess those days can never be taken away from me & I'd encourage anyone that has similar feelings about Sepultura's peak period to give this E.P. a couple of listens, if only for old time's sake. For those that are new to the band but have been lured into the thrash world by bands like Slayer or the gods of the Teutonic scene like Kreator & Sodom, this record should also offer plenty of appeal to you as well & will no doubt open up a brand-new can of worms for you too.