Album · 30 years old this year
Roots
Roots is the sixth studio album by Brazilian band Sepultura, released through Roadrunner Records on 20 February 1996. It follows the slower tempos and Latin-tinged rhythms of Chaos A.D. and pushes further into Brazilian music. Carlinhos Brown guided and arranged the ensemble percussion, and the record nods to Brazil's marginalised indigenous cultures. A Xavante chant on "Itsári" returns on "Born Stubborn", loosely tying the album together.
The sound also takes in the nu metal wave, with riffs shaped by Korn and Deftones. Ross Robinson, who produced Korn's first two albums, produced it, and "Lookaway" brings in Jonathan Davis, David Silveria, DJ Lethal and Mike Patton. It was Max Cavalera's last studio album with the band before he left in late 1996, and it remains their highest-charting release, reaching 27 on the Billboard 200 and selling over two million copies.
Roots on Riffology
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Roots: tracklist, credits and charts
16 tracks · 1:12:18Tracklist
- 1Roots Bloody RootsSepultura and Max Cavalera3:33
- 2AttitudeSepultura, Cavalera, D‐Low4:15
- 3Cut‐ThroatSepultura and Max Cavalera2:45
- 4RatamahattaCarlinhos Brown and Sepultura4:31
- 5Breed ApartSepultura, Cavalera, Kisser4:01
- 6StraighthateSepultura and Max Cavalera5:22
- 7SpitSepultura and Max Cavalera2:46
- 8LookawayLethal, Sepultura, Davis5:26
- 9DustedSepultura and Andreas Kisser4:04
- 10Born StubbornSepultura and Max Cavalera4:08
- 11JascoAndreas Kisser1:58
- 12Itsári[traditional] and Sepultura4:49
- 13AmbushSepultura and Max Cavalera4:39
- 14Endangered SpeciesSepultura and Max Cavalera5:19
- 15DictatorshitSepultura and Max Cavalera1:27
- 16Canyon Jam13:17
- Produced by
- Ross Robinson, Sepultura, DJ Lethal
- Recorded at
- Indigo Ranch Studios (Malibu, California)
- Recorded
- October–December 1995
- Mixed by
- Steve Sisco, Andy Wallace
- Engineered by
- Rob Agnello, Chuck Johnson, Richard Kaplan
- Label
- Roadrunner Records
- Length
- 1:12:18
Line-up
- Igor Cavalera · drums (drum set), percussion, djembe
- Max Cavalera · guitar, lead vocals, berimbau, vocals, acoustic guitar
- Andreas Kisser · guitar, background vocals, acoustic guitar, sitar
- Paulo Jr. · bass guitar, percussion
- Carlinhos Brown · djembe, percussion, surdo, vocals, berimbau, shekere, membranophone · guest
- Ross Robinson · percussion · guest
- Sepultura · percussion · guest
- David Silveria · percussion · guest
- Jonathan Davis · vocals · guest
- Mike Patton · vocals · guest
Singles
- “Roots Bloody Roots” · 18 February 1996
- “Attitude” · June 1996
- “Ratamahatta” · October 1996
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 1996 | 4 |
| US Billboard 200 · 1996 | 27 |
| UK Rock & Metal Albums · 1996 | 1 |
| Austrian Albums · 1996 | 2 |
| Europe (European Top 100 Albums) · 1996 | 2 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 1996 | 3 |
| Belgian Albums (Wallonia) · 1996 | 3 |
| Czech Albums (IFPI) · 1996 | 4 |
| France Albums (SNEP) · 1996 | 4 |
| Belgian Albums (Flanders) · 1996 | 5 |
All 26 charts
| Finnish Albums · 1996 | 5 |
| Irish Albums (IRMA) · 1996 | 5 |
| Italian Albums (Musica e Dischi) · 1996 | 5 |
| Swedish Albums · 1996 | 5 |
| Dutch Albums · 1996 | 6 |
| German Albums · 1996 | 7 |
| Hungarian Vinyl Albums (MAHASZ) · 2026 | 7 |
| New Zealand Albums · 1996 | 8 |
| Norwegian Albums · 1996 | 8 |
| Portuguese Albums (AFP) · 1996 | 8 |
| Hungarian Physical Albums (MAHASZ) · 2026 | 11 |
| Scottish Albums · 1996 | 13 |
| Swiss Albums · 1996 | 16 |
| Spanish Albums (AFYVE) · 1996 | 18 |
| Canadian Albums (RPM) · 1996 | 22 |
| Danish Albums (Hitlisten) · 1996 | 34 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Australia · 1997 | Gold |
| Austria · 1998 | Gold |
| Canada · 1997 | Gold |
| France · 1997 | Gold |
| Netherlands · 2000 | Gold |
| Poland · 1996 | Gold |
| United Kingdom · 1999 | Gold |
| United States · 2005 | Gold |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
72.0
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
6.1k
ListenBrainz listeners
112k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
67k
Deezer fans (all editions)
Also released on 20 February
Every year →
More from Sepultura
Full discography →
Bestial Devastation
1985
Século X.X. / Bestial Devastation
1985
Morbid Visions
1986
Schizophrenia
1987
Beneath the Remains
1989
Arise
1991
Third World Posse
1992
Chaos A.D.
1993
Natural Born Blasters
1996
Sepultura Procreation of the Wicked 1997
Procreation of the Wicked
1997
Blood-Rooted
1997
Against
1998
Tribus
1999
Nation
2001
Under a Pale Grey Sky
2002
Revolusongs
2002
Roorback
2003
Live in São Paulo
2005
Dante XXI
2006
The Best of Sepultura
2006
A-Lex
2009
Kairos
2011
The Mediator Between Head and Hands Must Be the Heart
2013
Machine Messiah
2017
Quadra
2020
The Cloud of Unknowing
2026
The best of 1996
All of 1996 →
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More on Roadrunner Records
The label →
Slipknot
Slipknot · 1999
Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses)
Slipknot · 2004
All Hope Is Gone
Slipknot · 2008
Iowa
Slipknot · 2001
.5: The Gray Chapter
Slipknot · 2014
We Are Not Your Kind
Slipknot · 2019
The End, So Far
Slipknot · 2022
The Path of Totality
Korn · 2011
Chaos A.D.
Sepultura · 1993
October Rust
Type O Negative · 1996
Bloody Kisses
Type O Negative · 1993
The Serenity of Suffering
Korn · 2016
Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + wikidata; also seen: 1996-02-21 (musicbrainz)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 21 February 1996 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 20 February 1996 (GB) | |
| Wikidata | 20 February 1996 | |
| Wikipedia (other date) | 12 March 1996 | |
| US release | 12 April 1996 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 20 February 1996 | earliest UK or European date |
17 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | JP | Roadrunner Records | other | |
| 1996 | US | Roadrunner Records | 016861890025 | other |
| 1996 | CA | Roadrunner Records | other | |
| 1996 | US | Roadrunner Records | 016861890087 | other |
| 1996 | NL | Roadrunner Records | 016861890018 | other |
| 1996 | CA | Roadrunner Records | 016861890025 | other |
| 21 February 1996 | JP | Far East Metal Syndicate | 4988015060270 | original |
| 25 February 1996 | XE | Roadrunner Records | 016861890056 | other |
| 12 March 1996 | XE | Roadrunner Records | 016861890025 | other |
| 12 April 1996 | US | Roadrunner Records | 016861890025 | other |
| 29 November 1996 | XE | Roadrunner Records | 016861890087 | other |
| 2005 | NL | Roadrunner Records | 016861815455 | other |
| June 2005 | US | Roadrunner Records | 016861815424 | other |
| 18 March 2011 | DE | Roadrunner Records | 4024572477981 | other |
| 2017 | XE | Roadrunner Records | 081227934279 | deluxe |
| 2017 | US | Rhino Atlantic | 603497866250 | remaster |
| 3 November 2017 | XE | Roadrunner Records | 081227934262 | remaster |
Cover art sources
coverartarchive · upscaled: minor: best source 1414x1414, upscaled to 1500 (x1.06)
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| coverartarchive ✓ | 1414×1414 | upscaled: minor: best source 1414x1414, upscaled to 1500 (x1.06) |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |