In a home studio in Venice, California, the Brazilian metal band Sepultura was working fast. They had a new drummer, a famous producer back at the helm, and a head full of ideas drawn from a silent science-fiction film. On October 25, 2013, the result arrived in Europe: The Mediator Between Head and Hands Must Be the Heart, the group's thirteenth studio album.
Ross Robinson back at the helm
Why did Sepultura choose this moment to reunite with Ross Robinson? The producer had steered their 1996 album Roots, a record that pushed the band into tribal rhythms and raw aggression. Now Robinson was back, and the sessions in his California home studio took place over June and July 2013. It was the first Sepultura album recorded in the United States since Against in 1998.
There was also fresh blood behind the kit. Eloy Casagrande had joined Sepultura in 2011, and this was his first full-length with the band. His arrival seemed to sharpen everything. Vocalist Derrick Green described the sound as truly sinister, dark and metallic. Guitarist Andreas Kisser called the material brutal, fast and straightforward. The band had no shortage of material. By the start of the sessions, thirteen songs were in development, and by June 2013 six compositions had already been recorded. Kisser said the pace was roughly two songs a day, which kept the energy high and the sound raw.
Kisser said the pace was roughly two songs a day, which kept the energy high and the sound raw.
Metropolis and a Slayer guest
The album's title is a line from the 1927 film Metropolis, and the movie's story of a divided society inspired the record's atmosphere. Sepultura did not plan a concept album, but the dystopian mood seeped into the songs. One of them, "The Age of the Atheist," came out as a single on September 20, 2013, a month before the full release. Unlike Dante XXI and A-Lex, the album was never intended as a concept record. Still, the shadow of Metropolis hung over the writing, giving the songs a shared sense of dread without forcing a strict narrative. The band let the film's divided world shape the mood rather than dictate the lyrics.
A famous guest added to the chaos. Dave Lombardo, the former Slayer drummer, played an extra drum part in the middle of the track "Obsessed." The album also looked back to Brazil: the tracklist included a cover of "Da Lama ao Caos" by Chico Science & Nação Zumbi, with Andreas Kisser taking lead vocals.
Chart results across Europe
The record was a compact blast of thrash and groove. Nuclear Blast released it in Europe, and in the United States it sold more than 1800 copies in its first week. That was not a blockbuster number, but it proved the band still had a loyal core audience.
In the United Kingdom, the album reached the 22nd spot on the rock and metal chart. That was a modest but meaningful result for a band that had spent years rebuilding after lineup changes and stylistic shifts. The Mediator Between Head and Hands Must Be the Heart showed Sepultura could still sound dangerous. The album also made its mark in mainland Europe. In Germany it reached number 76 on the album chart, while in Switzerland it climbed to 96. France saw it rise to 153, and in Belgium it landed at 151 in Flanders and 112 in Wallonia.
The reunion with Ross Robinson mattered because it reconnected Sepultura with the producer who understood their heaviest side. In his Venice studio, the band moved fast and captured something urgent. The result was not a nostalgia trip but a statement that the group could still summon the brute force that made their name.