Even with the rain that fell in São Paulo, causing a power outage in the neighborhood where the show was to take place, the Tropical Butantã venue was packed with headbangers eager to see Max and Iggor Cavalera . The atmosphere reflected the diversity among Heavy Metal fans. Age, gender, sexual orientation, and dress code didn't matter. The only goal was to celebrate one of the high points of two of the genre's greatest exponents in Brazil.
Ultimately, the Max & Iggor Cavalera 89/91 Era tour celebrates solid works that helped catapult Brazilian Heavy Metal to the rest of the world. Beneath The Remains and Arise are, respectively, the third and fourth studio albums by Sepultura , the band the brothers were part of in their classic lineup.
A large part of the audience wore t-shirts of bands the musicians had previously been in: Sepultura, obviously, and also Soulfly , Cavalera Conspiracy , and Nailbomb . This elevated the show to a kind of cult following for two living legends of international music. It's no coincidence that the duo has performed in other countries such as Russia, England, Germany, Belgium, and the United States.
When the brothers took the stage, around 11:30 PM, the atmosphere was one of pure praise. From the audience, screams and expressions of ecstasy could be heard from people who could hardly believe they were at that event. It was like a flashback to the Cavalera brothers' years leading Sepultura.
Derrick ( Green first show . He’s good. But when I hear Max’s voice I’m going to cry here,” confessed one of the fans. And soon Max’s voice could be heard. Starting with the powerful “Beneath The Remains,” the setlist was divided between the two albums being celebrated, in order of release.
The hits came in quick succession: “Inner Self”, “Stronger Than Hate”, “Mass Hypnosis”, “Primitive Future”, “Slaves of Pain”. After that came the songs from Arise , starting with the title track followed by “Dead Embryonic Cells”, “Desperate Cry”, “Altered State” and “Infected Voice”.
The crowd sang along to every song in unison. They shouted the slogans and formed a mosh pit with each new song. The energy didn't drop even with the covers "Orgasmatron" and "Ace Of Spades" by Motörhead . In contrast, the brothers showed they were in excellent form. Iggor's insane drumming was relentless, and Max created the strongest connection with the audience, playing and screaming as if it were effortless.
The place erupted with “Roots Bloody Roots” after the intermission. In the end, the feeling was that everyone had witnessed something special. Such different people united by metal. United by music. It was Max Cavalera's words at the beginning of the show that summed up that night: “We are stronger than hate. Metal is stronger than hate.”.
Photos by: Miluhy
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