Totem (Soulfly album)

Totem is the twelfth studio album by American heavy metal band Soulfly. It was released on August 5, 2022, by Nuclear Blast. It is also the first album since 2002 to not feature long running lead guitarist Marc Rizzo who parted ways with the band in 2021. The album's producer Arthur Rizk, John Powers and Chris Ulsh contributed guitar solos.

Totem
Studio album by Soulfly
Released	August 5, 2022 (2022-08-05)
Recorded	2021–2022
Studio	Platinum Underground in Mesa, Arizona
Genre	Thrash metal groove metal death metal
Length	40:05
Label	Nuclear Blast
Producer	Arthur Rizk Max Cavalera
Soulfly chronology
Ritual (2018) Totem (2022)

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Blabbermouth.net	8.5/10[2]
Kerrang!	3/5[3]
Metal Hammer	[4]
Metal Injection	8/10[5]

Dan Slessor of Kerrang! states that "Superstition" is "an absolute beast to kick things off, and there's a pleasingly chaotic air to much of what they pack into 40 minutes".^[3]

Dom Lawson of Blabbermouth.net stated that the album "maintains the crushing heaviness of its immediate predecessors while managing to squeeze a bit of invention and perversity into the mix, too".^[2]

Matt Mills of Metal Hammer wrote that "Max Cavalera gets with the times and ramps up the aggro on Soulfly's new album Totem".^[4]

Max Heilman of Metal Injection wrote that "In true Soulfly fashion, the album culminates with a tapestry of shimmering synths, dense percussion arrangements, melodious brass and even vocoded singing—a bit of trippy weirdness to remind folks of where Soulfly's heart lies."^[6]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Max Cavalera and Zyon Cavalera.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Superstition"	3:14
2.	"Scouring the Vile" (feat. John Tardy)	2:51
3.	"Filth Upon Filth"	2:53
4.	"Rot in Pain"	2:47
5.	"The Damage Done"	3:58
6.	"Totem"	5:31
7.	"Ancestors" (feat. John Powers)	3:09
8.	"Ecstasy of Gold" (feat. John Powers)	3:36
9.	"Soulfly XII" (Instrumental)	2:34
10.	"Spirit Animal" (feat. Chris Ulsh, Hornsman Coyote, Richie Cavalera & Leya Cavalera)	9:32
Total length:		40:05

Personnel

Soulfly Max Cavalera – vocals, rhythm guitar Zyon Cavalera – drums, Brazilian percussion Mike Leon – bass Additional musicians Arthur Rizk – lead guitar John Powers – guitar solo on "Ancestors", "Ecstasy of Gold" Chris Ulsh – guitar solo on "Spirit Animal" John Tardy – vocals on "Scouring the Vile" Hornsman Coyote – vocals on "Spirit Animal", horns on "Spirit Animal" Leya Cavalera – baby growl on "Spirit Animal" Richie Cavalera – vocals on "Spirit Animal"

Production Arthur Rizk – production, mixing, mastering, engineering Max Cavalera – production John Aquilino – engineering John Powers – additional engineering Artwork James Bousema – cover illustration, artwork

Charts

Chart performance for Totem

Chart (2022)	Peak position
Australian Digital Albums (ARIA)[7]	19
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[8]	25
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[9]	187
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[10]	61
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[11]	17
Polish Albums (ZPAV)[12]	36
Scottish Albums (OCC)[13]	32
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[14]	21
UK Album Downloads (OCC)[15]	40
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[16]	6
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[17]	5