POP MUSIC REVIEW : Sepultura Fills the Void in Thrash Metal

When thrash-metal kings Metallica gained mainstream acceptance with its 1991 album, the San Francisco-area quartet left a void at the top of the uncompromising, underground hard-rock scene.

With its forceful performance Thursday night at the sold-out Hollywood Palladium, Brazilian thrash-metal heroes Sepultura--whose “Chaos A.D.” album is also dominating the hard-rock charts these days--proved that it is logical heir to the throne.

Eschewing ballads in favor of primordial assault and sacrificing traditional singing for Max Cavalera’s guttural talk-vocalizing, Sepultura pounded its way through an intense 120-minute set. The band displayed a welcome variety of material, from the unbridled fury of older songs to more anthem-like, melodic compositions.

And, if Sepultura’s often-potent lyrics were lost due to the Palladium’s muddy sound and Cavalera’s thickly accented English, it was of little import to the teens thrusting their fists in the air in homage to the new monarchs of visceral metal.