Max Cavalera, the driving force behind Soulfly and a co-founder of the legendary Sepultura, recently offered insights into the strong community within heavy metal. Speaking with Prescription Punk Rock, Cavalera highlighted the positive aspects of the metal scene, countering its often harsh public perception.
“Metal is the most positive thing in the world, but I know it [has a] negative image. I understand. But once you are inside of the metal, it makes you a great person,” Cavalera asserted (as transcribed by Blabbermouth). He believes the genre fosters a unique camaraderie, stating: “I think in metal — I hope at least — there’s less racism, there’s less s*xism, there’s less prejudice, and there’s more friendship. There’s more bond. Also because you’re part of something outside of society, I think it’s cool too. It’s a unique thing. You’re part of something that’s special. You feel very kind of proud to be part of something unique like this. And I think it’s cool like that.”
He described the instant connection shared among fans, an unspoken “code”: “When you are in the airport and you see another guy [wearing] a heavy metal shirt, you go, ‘Oh, f**k, yeah. How’re you doing, man?’ We have to do that… even when they don’t recognize me, I still [go], ‘What’s up, man? F**king cool fucking shirt, man.’… I just give him props because he is wearing a Celtic Frost shirt. And I’m, like, ‘F**k, yeah, dude. Cool shirt, man.’ Let him know.”
This appreciation for authentic connection seems to inform Cavalera‘s perspective on Sepultura, especially in light of the current band’s announced farewell tour. In a separate conversation with Full Metal Jackie, Max suggested that the true essence of early Sepultura resides with him and his brother, Igor Cavalera.
“To me, I feel — and I’m not saying that just for myself — I think a lot of fans feel that me and Igor kind of carry the spirit of Sepultura with us on everything that we do,” he expressed. While acknowledging the other lineup uses the name, he added, “everybody knows that it’s not the same and it’s never gonna be the same. And I don’t have nothing to do with what they’re doing, with the disbanding of the band.”
Max emphasized his and Igor‘s distinct path, currently celebrating their past by opening for Slayer and playing material from albums like Chaos A.D.: “Me and Igor, we have our own path, we are on our own thing, we are revisiting those old material on our own time. And the way we did them was the way we always did — it was from our heart. For us, it’s really special to preserve that.” He concluded by reflecting on the importance of maintaining the youthful passion of their formative years: “I think it’s kind of like that young heart, the teenage heart that lives inside of you. I kind of like keep that really sacred… So I feel like that when talk about Sepultura. It was a special band of a special time and we celebrate that — I get a chance to celebrate that with Igor, regardless of what the other guys are doing.”
On the Soulfly front, the band announced last month that they had parted ways with bassist Mike Leon, who joined in 2015. Filling the position for tonight’s (May 3rd) performance at Mexico City’s Nu Metal Revolution festival is Max‘s son, Igor Amadeus Cavalera, who is also involved with the Cavalera band, Go Ahead And D*e, and Healing Magic. Soulfly continues touring in support of their August 2022 album Totem, released via Nuclear Blast.
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