Sepultura, who are no strangers to Denmark in general, and Copenhagen in particular, had something special to celebrate as they stopped by Pumpehuset one dark evening in November.
They were celebrating their 30th anniversary as a band! Despite quite a few line-up changes through the years, that’s an impressive feat for anyone, and well worth celebrating!

As luck would have it, Sepultura’s intro began at the very moment I reached the top of the stairs, so after quickly acquiring a beer, I made my way forward in the tightly packed hall, and reached a good position just in time for the band to walk on. Anticipation was nearly dripping off the walls, and the band was well greeted as they entered and threw themselves, and us, into the first song of the night, Troops Of Doom.
The setlist was a good mix of old and new, a bit of everything to please fans of all ages. It also served up a few goodies that we usually don’t get to hear, amongst which the Motörhead cover Orgasmatron and the Titãs cover Polícia was something for which I was especially thankful. Staples like Territory, Roots Bloody Roots, and Kairos were of course also there, making this a good mix not only in age but also of obscure contra famous.

Performance ways, there wasn’t much new under the sun however – there was headbanging, and a bit of movement from Derrick Green and Andreas Kisser. Green did a bit of extra percussions here and there, after Orgasmatron there was a bit of free jamming going on.
It wasn’t so much what they did though, as rather how they did it – Sepultura was on fire this evening! The nerve and energy was immense, and the band had the entire crowd in its hand from start to finish, no one was left alive. I can say without hesitation that this was the best show the Green fronted era has ever delivered, and since I’ve only ever seen the band live after his entrance into the ranks, it was also the best Sepultura gig I’ve ever seen.

I mentioned the band was received well by the huge crowd, and already from the first song people were working up a heat. It wasn’t until Inner Self however, that we burst through the walls of common decency, and entered a state of complete frenzy! The mosh got ten times wilder, and grew in size as well as ferocity, and those who didn’t partake in this event still made their necks good and sore with wild headbanging.
There’s no doubt in my mind that the rest of Copenhagen loved every minute of the show as much as I did, and with the energy building between band and fans, this is one show to go down in history!

30 years in, and Sepultura proves stronger than ever before. Now that’s a feat well worth celebrating!
The past may be filled with turmoil, but if this is any indication, the future looks bright and shiny! Let’s hope for several more years and shows like this!

Setlist:

Troops Of Doom
Kairos
Propaganda
Breed Apart
Inner Self
Dead Embryonic Cells
Convicted In Life
Choke
Cut-Throat
Sepultura Under My Skin
From The Past Comes The Storms
Territory
Polícia (Titãs cover)
Orgasmatron (Motörhead cover)
Arise
Refuse/Resist
The Curse
Bestial Devastation
The Vatican
Ratamahatta
Roots Bloody Roots