Cavalera frontman Max Cavalera discusses Indigenous spirituality, politics and his friendship with Ozzy ahead of ABQ show
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Cavalera frontman Max Cavalera believes metalheads are misunderstood.
鈥淲e feel that, being metalheads, we鈥檙e the outcasts of society. We鈥檙e looked at with a snarl of disgust,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut I think that inside of metal, there鈥檚 a lot more union and friendship, and less hatred, less prejudice and less racism. We鈥檙e more open-minded. You can be any kind of person, as long as you love metal and you are there for the same reason 鈥� to sing the songs with the band that you love 鈥� that鈥檚 what it鈥檚 all about.鈥�
Metal fans can sing along with the band, also known as Cavalera Conspiracy, at Sunshine Theater on Sunday, Oct. 12. For their 鈥淐haos A.D. Tour,鈥� the band is performing every song from the 1993 album 鈥淐haos A.D.,鈥� which Max Cavalera and his brother Igor recorded under the aegis of their first band, Sepultura.
Max Cavalera said he鈥檚 been surprised by just how strong the reception has been.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a real trip how much people love this record. I knew they were going to love it, but it surprised even me how they know every word and they sing with, like, full screaming,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 powerful.鈥�
He called 鈥淐haos A.D.鈥� 鈥渁 perfect album to play live.鈥�
鈥淧eople love it. It鈥檚 heavy. It鈥檚 got all the beat-downs,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e playing the whole thing, and it鈥檚 great, every single song.鈥�
鈥淐haos A.D.鈥� was also a resolutely political album.
鈥淭his record has aged so well. It鈥檚 relevant to the topics of today,鈥� Max Cavalera said. 鈥淚 mean, we have songs like 鈥楻efuse/Resist,鈥� and even stuff like 鈥楳anifest,鈥� again, that was a song written about a Brazilian jail riot.鈥�
When the Cavalera brothers formed Sepultura in 1984 in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, their country was still being ruled by a military dictatorship, and the impulse to resist authoritarianism became a driving force in their music.
Antiauthoritarian songs still resonate today, Max Cavalera said, 鈥渨ith the police corruption and abuse of power that鈥檚 going on everywhere, and with all these ICE raids and the wars going on in the Middle East and Ukraine.鈥�
When he was growing up, heavy metal music in Brazil was still very niche.
鈥淪amba was always big, and, of course, tropicalia and Os Mutantes and all of that, but underneath all that, the underground was starting to happen,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e were listening to a lot of European and American stuff 鈥� AC/DC and (Iron) Maiden and (Black) Sabbath and (Judas) Priest. And it (the metal scene) became bigger and bigger as it went along. And the next thing you know, Brazil is a really full-loving metal country. It was crazy.鈥�
Sepultura became one of the biggest names in metal, selling over 20 million albums worldwide, according to BMG records.
Following a public feud with his brother in 1997, Max Cavalera left Sepultura and started a new project, Soulfly, where he explored the music and spirituality of his Indigenous ancestors, including his great-grandmother whose community came from the Amazon rainforest.
鈥淭he original idea of what Soulfly is 鈥� the tribal rhythms and the imagery and some of the words, some of the topics 鈥� are related to spiritual beliefs,鈥� he said.
Soulfly are still together and planning to release a new studio album later this month, titled 鈥淐hama,鈥� meaning 鈥渇lame鈥� in Portuguese. Meanwhile, Max and Igor Cavalera reunited in 2006 and have been playing together ever since as Cavalera Conspiracy or simply Cavalera.
Max Cavalera said 鈥淐haos A.D.鈥� marked his first foray into the Indigenous themes that he would later explore in Soulfly. The song 鈥淜aiow谩s鈥� from that album called attention to the plight of the Guarani-Kaiow谩 people, whom the Brazilian government began violently evicting from their traditional homes in the rainforest beginning in the 1980s, actions that the international activist organization Avaaz and some genocide have labeled a genocide.
鈥溾�楰aiow谩s鈥� was actually the first introduction, I believe, to mixing metal and full-on tribal music,鈥� Cavalera said.
In the years since the song鈥檚 release, conflict between the Brazilian government and the Guarani-Kaiow谩 people only increased. In 2012, a group of 170 Kaiow谩s issued a collective saying they would rather stay on their land and be killed than leave.
鈥淭he Kaiow谩s is a tribe that (was willing to) commit suicide because the government was taking away their land,鈥� Cavalera said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a real sad thing, but it鈥檚 also a real powerful protest.鈥�
Although 鈥淜aiow谩s鈥� is an instrumental acoustic song, Max Cavalera said it has been the most powerful song from 鈥淐haos A.D.鈥� to perform live.
鈥淚t鈥檚 acoustic, and we do it in the original version. But it鈥檚 the heaviest song of the set,鈥� he said.
Over the years, Max Cavalera has met and worked with many of his heroes. He recalled being starstruck when he first met Ozzy Osbourne, but the two later became close, touring many times together.
鈥淪haron (Osbourne) was friends with my wife, Gloria, and they really love each other,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd Ozzy also loved all of us like family.
鈥淭hey say, 鈥楧on鈥檛 meet your heroes,鈥� but that鈥檚 bull****,鈥� he continued. 鈥淒o meet them, and become friends with them. It鈥檚 even cooler that way.鈥�
He said Osbourne鈥檚 death in July was 鈥渁 real sad day,鈥� but he will always remember the Black Sabbath frontman鈥檚 humor and kindness.
Cavalera is looking forward to playing in Albuquerque.
鈥淚 always love the New Mexico shows, because we have so many different tribes in the crowd, like Navajo and Apache, and it鈥檚 really cool,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey connect through the music really well, and it gives the show a special feeling鈥� I don鈥檛 know, it鈥檚 just a connection between the love I have for my Brazilian Indigenous heritage and the lifestyle of the Southwest, which I love, as well.鈥�
