Former SEPULTURA Drummer IGOR CAVALERA To Guest On New BURAKA SOM SISTEMA Album

According to the Portuguese music magazine Blitz, former SEPULTURA and current CAVALERA CONSPIRACY drummer Igor "Iggor" Cavalera has recorded a guest appearance on two tracks for the forthcoming album from Portugal's electronic music project BURAKA SOM SISTEMA, considered to be global ambassadors for kuduro, an Angola-rooted fusion of hip-hop, house, dancehall reggae and local styles. It is not presently clear if both songs will actually make the final CD, which was reportedly recorded in Brazil.

BURAKA SOM SISTEMA won the 2008 MTV Europe Music Award for "Best Portuguese Act" and was also nominated in the "Best European Act" category.

Igor Cavalera and his wife, Laima Leyton are involved in a DJ/hip hop/electro project called MIXHELL. In a 2009 interview, Igor was asked if SEPULTURA and CAVALERA CONSPIRACY fans will like MIXHELL, Igor — who plays live drums in MIXHELL while Laima is the DJ — replied, "I don't know. I really enjoy it, because for me it's still very, very extreme. My drumming is very energetic. It just has different grooves to it than what I do with CAVALERA."

When asked in a May 2009 interview how his metal background has affected his work with MIXHELL, Igor replied, "For me, even when I was playing metal, I always tried new things, I was never stuck to one [thing]. It was always, like, very open-minded. Anybody who followed the SEPULTURA years knows that we tried new things; it was not about being stuck in time; it was about moving up, always. So, for me, MIXHELL is a continuation of my career."

Igor Cavalera left SEPULTURA in June 2006 due to "artistic differences." He has since been replaced by Jean Dolabella (ex-UDORA). Igor's departure from SEPULTURA came five months after he announced that he was taking a break from the group's touring activities to spend time with his second wife and their new son (who was born in January 2006). Filling in on drums during the band's spring 2006 European tour with IN FLAMES was Roy Mayorga, who played with Igor's brother Max in SOULFLY for several years in the late '90s and again in 2001-2003.

Igor is the second Cavalera to leave SEPULTURA. In 1996, Max Cavalera exited the group after the rest of the band fired Max's wife Gloria as SEPULTURA's manager.

Igor and Max are currently collaborating on a new project called CAVALERA CONSPIRACY. The group's debut album, "Inflikted", was released in March 2008 via Roadrunner Records. A follow-up effort, Blunt Force Trauma", is due on March 29 via Roadrunner Records.

(Thanks: Marcus Tameeris)