Sepultura: News, History & Updates

Sepultura Biography

By MAX CAVALERA, exclusively for Alternative Nation

Brazilian Metal Scene When Sepultura First Started in the ’80s

Max Cavalera: The very, very, very beginning, it was just like, 20 of us. I mean, we created that scene from the ground up. Our city didn’t have a scene. We just kind of made it our own scene. And then after that, more bands kept popping up. And then, in general, the whole scene in Brazil grew up. Rio had more bands, São Paulo. São Paulo is always big, we had a huge punk scene and big metal scene.

It’s cool when you start something like that in your city with your friends. It’s ‘you against the world’ type shit. It’s fun, man, it’s cool. I love that. I think that it happens a lot. You always hear about the Texas scene, the Denver scene, New York hardcore, the Sweden death metal scene. It’s awesome when stuff like that happens. And we made it happen ourselves. That was great.

Sepultura Creates Their Own Original Sound Circa Arise, Chaos AD, and Roots

Max Cavalera: I think we were always evolving. So, there’s not really the one sound that you can call it ‘the sound.’ And that’s what made it cool. You got the early beginning, very black metal, and then more death and trash with Arise and Beneath the Remains. Then Chaos AD, we reinvented the whole thing again – finding this crazy groove influenced by New York hardcore, and slow everything down. But it’s also heavier, man, it’s crazy. And of course, Roots, with all the percussion, the Brazilian elements. I do believe Chaos AD be a groundbreaking record.

Should Sepultura Have Called It a Day When Max Left (in 1996)?

Max Cavalera: My own wish, yeah. But there’s not much I can do about that. I just know that inside of me, I have all this music and inspiration that needed to find a place to be released. And thank God, I found it in many bands – not just one – with Soulfly, Killer Be Killed, Go Ahead and Die. And then Cavalera Conspiracy [a band featuring Max and his brother Igor], we’re playing the old stuff – it’s amazing.

Max Cavalera interview conducted exclusively by Greg Prato for Alternative Nation.