DERRICK GREEN Says 'There's Always Change And Growth' In SEPULTURA's Sound

Derrick Green, who has been singing for SEPULTURA since 1997, spoke to "The Brooklyn Blast Furnace" podcast about the band's musical progression, including during the period when they were fronted by his predecessor, Max Cavalera.

"I got into SEPULTURA on 'Arise' [1991], and it was amazing, but by the time I got into them, they were already [on] 'Chaos A.D.' [1993]," he said (hear audio below). "I was, like, 'Oh, this is badass. This is really, really hardcore…' I don't know — it had more of those elements.

"'Roots' [1996], I thought it was cool. When I joined the band, I thought 'Roots' was the biggest album they had, and touring with them for 20 years and traveling, I love the album, but there are a good amount of fans that are just, like, 'I don't like that shit.' And I was shocked. I was, like, 'Wow! You really don't like [it]?' And they're, like, 'Yeah.' There are some fans that are, like, 'That was it for me.' And then there's people that are just, like, 'I love the old stuff, like 'Bestial Devastation' [1985].' And I'm, like, 'You're serious?' [Laughs] And they're, like, 'That [record] changed my life.'

"So there's all different fans, depending on how they were introduced to the band. So I love hearing people's stories, 'cause it's all diverse."

Green went to explain that part of the reason he was drawn to SEPULTURA's sound was the fact that the band was evolving at a rapid pace, as was evidenced on each successive recording.

"I always felt that what made me really gravitate to 'Arise' and then beyond is the fact that they had grown up, their personalities started to develop, they started to realize the shape of the band and where they wanted to go," he said. "Before, they were copying a lot of stuff from bands that they admire, and they were developing their style but they hadn't really reached that point yet. But I felt on 'Arise', it was really that tipping point, because their English was better, I thought. They started to actually learn English better, so the actual songwriting… Because they had a friend before that would translate the words from Portuguese to English — like, way before. And it's fascinating… And once they had the ability to write everything themselves, as far as lyrically and things like that, it became a lot more interesting. And you can hear that — each album is different, because they are growing. And it still continues that way — there's always change and growth. And that was something that I really admired about the band."

Last year, SEPULTURA launched "SepulQuarta", a weekly event where the band gave insight into its colorful history, took part in question-and-answer sessions with fans and performed music while in quarantine. Some of the musical collaborations, including those with members of MEGADETH, TESTAMENT, ANTHRAX, SYSTEM OF A DOWN, TRIVIUM and SACRED REICH, will be released as a full-length album later this year.

SEPULTURA's latest LP, "Quadra", was released in February 2020 via Nuclear Blast Records. It is a concept effort created at Sweden's Fascination Street Studios with renowned producer Jens Bogren.

SEPULTURA comprises Green, guitarist Andreas Kisser, bassist Paulo Xisto Pinto Jr., and drummer Eloy Casagrande.

SEPULTURA was formed in Belo Horizonte by brothers Max and Igor Cavalera, who are no longer with the band.

"Quadra" is the follow-up to "Machine Messiah", which was SEPULTURA's fourteenth studio album and the eighth since Green joined the ranks.