Former Sepultura frontman Max Cavalera recently shared his thoughts on performing the band’s 1993 album Chaos A.D. in its entirety. Speaking in an interview with Poland’s “Mystic Festival“, the musician discussed touring the milestone record across Europe and North America alongside his brother, former Sepultura drummer Igor Cavalera.
Regarding what it has been like to play Sepultura‘s Chaos A.D. in its entirety during recent tours of Europe and North America, Max Cavalera said:
“ I think it’s the best feeling because we love the material. We pay tribute to the era. There’s a whole new generation of fans, they never got the chance to see the original [lineup] playing that. And the band is so killer because you have me and Igor being the older guys, and you have Travis [Stone on lead guitar] and my son, Igor [Amadeus Cavalera on bass], the young guns. They bring the youth, they bring the energy. When I look at my sides, they’re going f**king nuts, because they love this record.”
The conversation then shifted to the creation of Chaos A.D.. The release marked a significant stylistic shift for the band, moving away from their established death-thrash foundation. Reflecting on the change in musical direction, Max Cavalera explained:
“It’s quite different from the predecessor, [1991’s] Arise. And I remember a lot of people would question, ‘Are they gonna do ‘Arise Part II’, or are they gonna try to do something different?’ And we opted for the second [option]. I love Arise, but it’s difficult to top that. Between the three of them — [1987’s] Schizophrenia, [1989’s] Beneath The Remains and Arise — it’s a trilogy of nearly perfect death-thrash records. [It’s] hard to top that. So we went on a different road; [we wanted to] slow everything down, strip down, and try to make more — I don’t know — solid kind of songs. It’s a strange record to me also, because there’s a lot of semi-instrumentals-type song, like ‘We Who Are Not As Others‘, ‘Kaiowas‘. We have a cover in the middle, a New Model Army cover, which is great. ‘The Hunt’ is a bit like — we love New Model Army, and we thought, ‘F**k it. Let’s put it on the record.’ It’s the kind of thing that we did. No rules.”
The 1993 release of Chaos A.D. captured the group at a creative peak. The album introduced slower, groove-oriented tempos, industrial elements, and hardcore punk influences. Tracks like “Refuse/Resist” and “Biotech Is Godzilla“, the latter featuring lyrics penned by Jello Biafra, helped establish the record as a global breakthrough.
To date, Chaos A.D. and its 1996 follow-up, Roots, remain the most commercially successful releases in Sepultura‘s catalog, with both albums achieving gold certification in the United States for exceeding 500,000 copies sold.
Cavalera Conspiracy “Chaos A.D. MMXXVI” Tour Dates:
- 18 June – Alkmaar, Netherlands – Victorie
- 19 June – Dessel, Belgium – Graspop Metal Meeting
- 20 June – Clisson, France – Hellfest
- 23 June – Gothenburg, Sweden – Filmstudion
- 24 June – Oslo, Norway – Tons of Rock
- 26 June – Tallin, Estonia – Helitehas
- 27 June – Riga, Latvia – Palladium
- 28 June – Warsaw, Poland – Progresja
- 30 June – Lyon, France – Transbo
- 1 July – Montpellier, France – Rocckstore
- 3 July – Viveiro, Spain – Resurrection Festival
- 4 July – Lisbon, Portugal – Evil Live
- 5 July – Barcelona, Spain – Rock Fest
- 7 July – Aix En Provence, France – 6mic
- 8 July – Bern, Switzerland – Bierhubeli
- 12 July – Istanbul, Turkey – Atakoy Marina
- 13 July – Sofia, Bulgaria – Maimunarika
- 14 July – Belgrade, Serbia – Dorcol Platz
- 15 July – Zagreb, Coratia – Boogaloo
- 16 July – Leoben, Austria – Area 53 Festival
- 17 July – Vizovice, Czechia – Masters of Rock
