Dante XXI

Dante XXI is a pivotal 2006 release that saw Sepultura reclaiming their status as thrash innovators. As a concept album based on Dante Alighieri's The Divine Comedy, it is meticulously structured into three sections: Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. Musically, it marks a return to the shorter, faster song structures of their early career, but with the added complexity of orchestral elements like cellos and horns on the Purgatorio tracks. This was the final album to feature drummer Igor Cavalera, whose exit marked the end of an era for the band. Critics, including those at AllMusic, noted that this was the most cohesive and powerful the band had sounded since the 1990s, praising Derrick Green's integration into the band's core identity. Despite modest commercial success in the US, it achieved Gold status in Brazil, proving the band's enduring relevance in their home territory.