Between shows and rehearsals for the new album, the guitarist spoke with Wikimetal about Sepultura's success
It's almost impossible to separate the name Andreas Kisser from Sepultura , one of the biggest heavy metal bands today. But that doesn't seem to bother the guitarist who, since moving from São Bernardo to Belo Horizonte in 1987, has worked tirelessly to maintain and expand the band's name and success.
Days before his performance at Curitiba Motorcycles , which takes place this Saturday, the 9th, at Live Curitiba, I spoke with Andreas about Sepultura's 35 years, the current state of heavy metal, and the band's new album. Proud of the success he has achieved over all these years and excited about future projects, the guitarist attributes these victories to the love of music that unites the band members. Today, Kisser is accompanied by Paulo Xisto , Derrick Green , and Eloy Casagrande , great musicians and professionals, but it wasn't always like that.
For a long time, Sepultura's history was associated with fights and disagreements between its members, especially when Iggor and Max Cavalera were still part of the Brazilian group's lineup. "I'm proud to have such a rich history, to still be here after 35 years and have the chance to continue making albums and touring," says the guitarist, "I think that's what success is."
And if today the group's structure is based on professionalism, respect, and friendship, its success definitely reflects that. With 14 studio albums in their repertoire, the latest being Machine Messiah (2017), Sepultura still plans to continue touring and working in the studio, with no breaks in sight. “I've already sent some things to the band, and I've received quite a bit as well. This week we're going to meet in the rehearsal room and start the process. The idea is to go into the studio in August or September.”
Andreas reveals that the plan is to replicate the process of their last album: they will return to Sweden with producer Jens Bogren. “It worked out really well, the chemistry between the producer and the band was amazing,” he confesses. 2019 will practically take place in the studio for the guys from Sepultura, and the big show of the year will happen in Brazil at Rock in Rio on October 4th. “We are preparing some surprises for that day, in addition to the show,” Andreas says, adding that he can't reveal much, but he anticipates that fans will be able to hear the first unreleased track from the new album, which already has a name and theme, something frequent in the band's work.
One of the band's most striking characteristics is the presence of a concept that ties all the tracks on the album together with the artwork, the name, and even the band's merchandise. In the albums Dante XXI (2006) and A-Lex (2009), the themes are more evident; one is inspired by Dante XXI and the other by A Clockwork Orange . "We determine the theme first because it helps to direct all the ideas for riffs and lyrics," says the guitarist when I ask about the group's creative process. He explains that since Dante XXI , they feel that creating from a pre-determined theme has become essential to maintaining unity in everything they produce. "We already have all of that for the new album, but we already have the name and the concept that involves the album, we already have the idea that will inspire the cover art and eventually all the visual aspects of the tour."
With Derrick back in Los Angeles, USA, the group has been working on ideas for the new album via the internet. “Technology has helped our process immensely,” he says, “We no longer need to be together in a rehearsal room all the time to produce music, to make things happen (…) Today we can each work from our own homes and send ideas to the other band members. This way we arrive at rehearsals with a lot of things already done.” Despite benefiting from the speed and practicality of technology, Andreas reveals that much of what the band does is still in a vintage style, “We try to use the best of both worlds,” he says.
Between shows all over the world, working on a new album, taking care of his family, and still finding time to chat with us, Andreas keeps himself busy. On top of all that, the guitarist hosts the show Pegadas com Andreas Kisser on 89FM radio. “I do the show with my son Yohan , and there’s a lot of different Brazilian music, people playing heavier or more thrash sounds, lots of women participating, a lot of things are happening here in Brazil.”
The guitarist's passion for music is undeniable. He believes in the power of heavy metal, "It's the most popular style in the world," he says enthusiastically. "Metal will always be underground, something more familial, passed down from generation to generation. Rock and metal are more alive than ever!"
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