Cavalera Conspiracy

By Charlie Hanks

In 1996 Max and Iggor Cavalera, the Brazilian brothers who formed Sepultura, parted ways. Sepultura was one of metal’s groundbreaking bands. Formed in 1983, their sound and intense aggression helped form modern day metal. Max went on to form the infamous Soulfly, and Iggor kept Sepultura going strong, but after nine years he split. Last year, after 10 years of not speaking, Max had heard that his brother was doing some “DJ stuff and knew that he needed to bring his brother back to metal,” Max explained. He called his brother and told him he wanted to play with him again and he had some songs that would be perfect. So they got back together and, joined by Soulfly guitar player Marc Rizzo and recruited Goirja guitarist Joe Duplainter to play bass (but tour with bassist Johnny Chow), they formed Cavalera Conspiracy. On March 25, 2008, Cavalera Conspiracy’s Inflikted was released and one of metal’s greatest duos proved they were back with a vengence.

It’s not every day that you get to meet one of your metal heroes. When I heard that the new monster Cavalera Conspiracy was coming to the Fillmore in SF, I scrambled to reach the people necessary to get an interview with Max Cavalera. I got to sit down with the man I had been listening to for years, the man whose music helped me become the metal singer I am now. It was a surreal experience.

The tour bus was full of Iggor and Max’s family and kids. Playdough and books were strewn around. Not the “metal” tour bus image I imagined. But, cool nonetheless.

I sat down and with timid excitement and started my recorder.

Max first told me about this tour “It’s been amazing. The reaction has been pretty much a guaranteed pit every night. Large whole floor pits. I noticed more on this tour than any other, the security guards will stop doing security and start singing along with the old Sepultura songs. I think that’s really cool.” With Marc and Joe playing Sepultura songs, “it’s been perfect. Marc is a phenomenal guitar player. He can play note for note but add his own personality to it. Its’ not like he’s playing a cover.”

I wanted to know what Max’s life was before he was in a band. “We started really early, Iggor and I. I was 13 and he was 12 when we recorded out first EP and we had already had the band for like two years. My recollection from before the music was just soccer and cartoons. Iggor and I like to watch a lot of cartoons,” Max explained.

And how does it feel now for him to be able to do this after so many years?

“To me that’s the best thing ever, because otherwise I would be really frustrated. Music is the one thing I have that I know is here and can count on when things are good or bad.

It sounds clich\é but I don’t care, music is life, not a job. I don’t separate my music from my life. Some people can shut off from a job. I don’t do that. I go to sleep and think about music. I write lyrics all the time. See, there’s lyrics hanging by where I sleep.” Max pointed to a sheet with the Chaos AD lyrics scribbled on them, taped to the wall behind me.

Right after that my brief 10 minutes was up. I shook his hand and had to leave the bus.

Four hours later I stood in front of the Fillmore’s stage and watched as Cavalera Conspiracy put on one hell of a show. They played Sepultura songs I never before got to see live. They made this tour a huge family affair by having Max’s stepson’s band Incite open the show and little Iggor Jr. played the drums flawlessly on the song Troops of Doom. Iggor’s daughter came up after the band was done and threw out her father’s drumsticks to the crowd, along with blown kisses and metal signs.

A happy metal family, once again.