I hope that one day they'll organize that reunion with Sepultura or a jam session with those guys.”
Wikimetal: Hi Max, it's Nando Machado here, how are you?
Max Cavalera: Hey, how's it going?
W: Everything's fine. Well, to start, first of all, we want to know how your health is.
MC: It's all good, man, I'm recovering. I went to the doctor two days ago, the doctor said it's already 90% healed, and man, it's already better, the effects are already wearing off, and in another week everything should be back to normal. So thank God it's improved a lot already.
W: That's great, that's great. Speaking about the beginning of your career, how did you first become interested in music?
MC: The first thing that happened was a Queen concert in São Paulo, at Morumbi Stadium, which a cousin of ours took Igor and me to see. And we went crazy at that show. It was really cool with the lights and the sound, and the next day I went and bought Queen Live Killers. And Igor bought a Kiss Alive II tape. And then we started listening to heavy metal, and from then on it started to get more intense, then came AC/DC, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, and Led Zeppelin. And then Van Halen. And then there was a change, it started to get heavier with Motörhead. Then came Slayer and Metallica. Around the time we started listening to Slayer, we had a desire to start our own band, and that's how Sepultura was born. It was after we heard Slayer and all those more hardcore, more thrash metal guys.
W: Okay, and speaking of that time, what was your first guitar like? How did you get your first guitar?
MC: My first guitar was a… I don't even remember its name, it was a Brazilian one, made in Brazil, and I bought it used. Its nickname was "rotten," because it was really rotten. And I remember when you tried to do a solo, something on the guitar neck would break off into pieces of wood and cut your hand! Back then I didn't have much. I had a guitar, but I didn't have an amplifier. I remembered, I bought it and took it home, started playing and said, "Damn, where's the sound? Where's the distortion and the metal sound?" Then the guy told me, "You have to buy an amplifier and you have to buy a distortion pedal." I said, "Damn! Do I have to buy all that?" I thought it was just the guitar and the sound would come out already. I didn't even understand that the guitar needed an amplifier. That's to show you how naive we were. So, then I went back home, managed to get more money, doing some jobs under the drawer, like selling autographs to the kids I knew. I used to forge autographs from the guys at Creator and sell them for four reais, and with that money I ended up buying an amplifier. I bought a really badass amplifier and finally the sound came, with distortion. We also bought a really badass distortion pedal. Then came the sound, heavy guitar distortion. That's when I started playing the first notes, you know. And then came the first songs we recorded, "Sons of Hitler," "Friday the 13th," and some really old Sepultura stuff that never got recorded.
The first thing that happened was a Queen concert in São Paulo, which a cousin of ours took Igor and me to see. And we were blown away by that show.”
W: Oh, that's great. Anyway, changing the subject. I went to the Soulfly show and you seemed really happy that night, right? How was it for you to play in São Paulo after so long, with a packed house and the crowd singing along to all the songs, so excited?
MC: That was really cool, man. It was one of the coolest shows of the tour, one of the coolest shows of my life, even. I mean, even my brother couldn't believe the crowd. The fanaticism of the crowd, how they were singing all the songs. He even said to me, "It sounds like the Beatles, man!" Yeah, he said I looked like a Beatle. And he thought it was really cool, all that fanaticism alongside Soulfly. And for me it was also really cool because there was the first show, in '98, which was kind of sabotaged, with all that mess. With all that Sepultura thing, and people saying not to go to the show, to boycott the show, and it ended up being a joke, not many people went to the show and it left a bitter taste in my mouth. So this show was to cleanse the soul, and it really did. It was so soul-cleansing, it was really cool. With my kids also playing "Revenge" and having the family there too, seeing the fans singing every Soulfly song, mixed with Sepultura. It was truly an unforgettable night, I'll never forget it. It was so much fun.
W: It was really cool, I was there and I was so happy to see you back in full force, Soulfly at full strength, Igor also played "Troops of Doom," it was truly a special night. I have a question, Max. How does having two bands work? How do you decide which songs go to Soulfly and which songs go to Cavalera Conspiracy?
MC: Most of the time when I record a riff , I'm just making the music; I'm not worried about where it's going. So I just record it and put it aside. Then, after I listen to these CDs I make, which are these demos, that's when I choose the songs. And most of the time I even know which one will be more suited to Igor, which Igor will play better, because of the way he plays drums, which I've known since he was little. So I know his way of playing, I know the riffs he likes, which are perfect for Igor. And the others are things I do for Soulfly, which is more different, has a more specific side. Each album is different. Since Slave is more death metal, it's a more extreme side. So it's kind of… First, it's thinking about the riffs , where they're going, and then selecting them and giving one to each band. Each riff goes to each band, and it becomes something cool, a really nice division that ends up contributing to both bands I play in. I love playing with Cavalera and I love playing with Soulfly, I enjoy being in both bands.
W: Okay. We have a classic question from the show, which we've asked all the interviewees so far. Imagine you're listening to an iPod on shuffle, or driving your car listening to music randomly, and a song starts playing and suddenly you start… a song that you lose control of and can't stop headbanging to. What song are we going to hear now on the show?
MC: I think Soulfly's "World Scum" has that tendency! Very "head bang" indeed.
W: So let's listen to "World Scum" by Soulfly now!
W: Tell us about the process of choosing the producer for the album. This new album you're working with Zeuss, right? Who did Hatebreed, Madball, Shadows Fall… How do you choose the producer you're going to work with?
MC: Sometimes the choice is mine, like with Roots, which was Ross Robinson, or Chaos AD, which was Andy Wallace, who I knew had worked with Slayer and Nirvana, and sometimes it comes from the record label. This time, with Zeuss, it came from the label. They contacted me and said they had this producer, Zeuss, who is a big fan of mine and really wanted to work with me. They sent me the material Zeuss had done, which is Shadows Fall, Hatebreed, Ocean, and Whitechapel, and I really liked the production and ended up accepting their suggestion to work with Zeuss. So each album is different. But this time the suggestion came from the label, and I thought it was a very good suggestion that helped a lot with the album. I even think that a lot of Slayer's sound, which is why the sound is so good, was the work with Zeuss, because Zeuss knew how to bring out really cool things that wouldn't normally come out and needed someone there to do it.
W: Great. Speaking of your autobiography, what stage is it at? And do you know when it will be released?
MC: Well, we're trying to see if we can release it by Christmas. People are even saying it has to be released by the end of the year because the world is going to end, and people have to read this before the world ends. So it's at that level… We're finishing the interviews, there are some like Igor's, who hasn't done the interview for the book yet, we still have to talk to Igor, and a few more interviews. We have to select the photos I'm going to use. So there's still some work to be done, but we want to see if we can keep working and finish it before Christmas, so our prediction is that it will be released at Christmas this year, that's what we're trying to do.
W: Okay, okay. And tell me something, you've been living outside of Brazil for so long, what do you miss most about living outside of Brazil?
MC: I think feijoada is one of the things I miss the most. Guaraná…
W: But you can get those things there, right? Or not?
MC: Feijoada? No way, man. It's impossible here. My wife makes something similar, a kind of American-style feijoada, a bit of a mix, which turns out pretty good considering her circumstances, since she can't make everything. But she knows how to make black beans and rice really well, and she cooks it in a cauldron and everything. But we can get guaraná, though. There's a store here that sells it that I always go to, I always buy guaraná and we always have some at home.
W: Great. And tell me something, what has been the highlight of your career so far? If you had to choose one highlight ?
MC: One is difficult. I think… There are quite a few. I think Soulfly's first tour in Australia was really cool, it was Big Day Out, a festival where we were playing with Korn and Marilyn Manson. And we played early, and I thought nobody would be there because it was early. But people came in droves, and there were 50,000 people at each show. And the crowd went wild for Soulfly's sound, that's when I understood that Soulfly had been approved by the fans. For me, it was a relief, it was something that… I don't know, a sense of relief, that I felt that Soulfly had finally been approved by the metal crowd, that I had gotten out of that thing, out of Sepultura's shadow. And that, for me, was one of the strongest moments of my career, feeling that relief, that I had succeeded. With Soulfly, that I had managed to overcome, my career would continue and everything would be alright. So that's where it happened in Australia.
W: Okay, so to choose a song again, could you pick a song from your career that you're really proud to have written?
MC: I wanted to put "Nail Bomb" and "Wishing Away" in there.
W: “Nail Bomb”. Excellent.
MC: “Nail Bomb” is a project I’ve always liked. Many fans like it too. It’s a side project I did back in the Chaos AD days. And the album “Point Blank” turned out really great, with Alex and I singing together. It also features Igor, Andreas, and Dino from Fear Factory. And that project was really cool. Even today people ask about “Nail Bomb,” if I’m going to do another “Nail Bomb,” or do something else with Alex. Unfortunately, the band broke up, it’s over, we’re not going to do anything new anymore. But the music continues, so I think “Wishing Away” is fucking awesome, it’s the first song on the album.
W: That's it, "Nail Bomb" on Wikimetal.
I used to forge autographs from the guys in Kreator and sell them for four reais. And with that money, I ended up buying an amplifier.”
W: You are probably the most internationally successful Brazilian artist across all music styles. How do you think a guy playing death metal and thrash metal manages to go so far and conquer the world like you did?
MC: It's hard work, man. And a lot of faith in the material. Hours and hours, days and months working on the album, making the album, endless tours, all over the world. The work we do with Soulfly takes us all over the world – to Siberia, China, Indonesia, Thailand – playing in many places where many people don't go, many bands don't go. Soulfly makes a point of playing in those places. And the fact that I'm from a place like Brazil also helps. The fact that I'm Brazilian has a cool, kind of exotic aspect. I think the whole world wants to see who the guy from Brazil is who went out into the world, who became successful all over the world. I think all of that together, and the strength of the fans is also very powerful, the fans I have, which is really cool. They're very fanatical. I think all of that helped create this kind of myth of Max in the world that ended up becoming the whole world. I think it's all of that together, the mix of everything.
W: Okay. Now I'm going to ask the only question I've set aside for us to talk about Sepultura. Is there any possibility – we're not going to talk about it again, don't worry – but looking at everything that happened with the Big Four and Metallica's anniversary, what are the chances of Sepultura sharing the stage with Cavalera Conspiracy or Soulfly? And if that happens, is there a possibility of a jam session with the guys from the band? From your former band?
MC: The possibility exists, right? There's always a possibility. I think I'm one of the people who would even like to do the reunion tour. A lot of people know that if it were up to me, I would have done it already. So it's not something that's in my control; it has more to do with the other guys, Andreas and Paulo, seeing with them what they want to do. While that doesn't happen, I continue with my work with Soulfly, with Cavalera, the book. A project with Greg from Interstate Plant that we're going to do next year. I continue doing the things I have to do. But I have hope that one day they'll make this reunion happen or a jam session with the guys, maybe. It would be really cool, like what happened with Igor, with Troops of Doom, which brought the house down; people loved that jam that Igor did with us and Troops of Doom in São Paulo, it was amazing. If it were possible to do one of those someday, for me it would be really cool, I would really like it. But it doesn't depend only on me.
W: Okay. Thanks, Max. I'm about to finish the interview, I just wanted to thank you for the interview and also for everything you've done for metal and for your career, which is truly an example for all the headbangers in Brazil and around the world. We're always rooting for you and whenever you're here you can count on us, we'll always support you. I just wanted you to give some advice to that kid who's 14 or 15 years old, starting to play guitar and thinking about forming a band. What would that advice be?
MC: The best possible. Rehearse like crazy, my son. Garage rehearsals are one of those very special things that everyone needs, every real band has always been in the garage, has always passed through the garage. I was with Sepultura and sometimes I even miss that dirty garage in Belo Horizonte where we used to rehearse. That's it, take the music to heart, do what you want to do and don't believe what others are saying. Stay in the music, stay in metal because the force of metal is very strong and that's it. Go for it. Destroy everything.
W: Thanks, Max, once again. And come back, don't wait so long to return, okay? Please.
MC: Sure, man, take care, okay?
W: Big hug, good luck!
MC: Okay, a hug for you!
