IGOR CAVALERA On SEPULTURA's 'Roots': 'It's Stood The Test Of Time'

Nev Pearce of Australia's "Rabid Noise" podcast recently conducted an interview with current CAVALERA CONSPIRACY and former SEPULTURA drummer Igor Cavalera. You can listen to the full chat below. A few excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On revisiting the songs from SEPULTURA's seminal 1996 "Roots" album during the "Return To Roots" tour:

Igor: "They're still very strong tunes. That's the cool thing about it, playing live every night, it just brings us back really cool memories of stuff we had done. Also, it's stood the test of time. Those songs, every night when we perform, we still have a strong kick from it. They're very energetic. We just have a really good time doing it. Of course, it's great to see the reaction from people who have never had a chance to see [the songs] live."

On the response to the "Return To Roots" tour:

Igor: "It's been amazing. It's one of those things where people get a chance to see something special. Again, it's a one-of-a-kind show; I don't know if we're going to repeat this again. It's one of the only chances the fans get to see that and celebrate with us by playing the music. It's been very special, everywhere. From Brazil all the way to America and then Europe, a few times in Europe playing festivals and some clubs. It's been really, really special."

On whether he thought "Roots" would have the impact it did while SEPULTURA was writing the album:

Igor: "Yes and no. I have to say, of course, there is something special about it. I have to say, it's pretty much the same when we did an album like 'Chaos A.D.', or even the CAVALERA [CONSPIRACY] records. Doing what you do represents you the best, then whatever happens after the album is out, is the consequence of it. But, if you asked me at that time if I knew the album would end up being [so influential] and twenty years I'm still playing the same record and still celebrating it, I'd say no. We were not expecting the impact that it has. The only thing we could say is that we knew it was something special, but we didn't know exactly what was coming up for us."

On whether fans have told him "Roots" inspired them to get in touch with their own ancestry:

Igor: "Yeah. I think that's the most special thing about the whole 'Roots' thing is how we opened up a lot of people's eyes to their own heritage and people could trace that back and be proud of it. That was the whole idea. With us, it was showing that even in heavy music, you could bring some of those elements and make something completely true, not just trying to pay homage to it, but also something that is a part of us."

On Justin Broadrick's (GODFLESH) guest appearance on CAVALERA CONSPIRACY's forthcoming "Psychosis" album:

Igor: "He's one of our favorite artists in the whole scene of industrial metal. We asked him and are so proud… It's such a crazy track that he and Max [Cavalera, CAVALERA CONSPIRACY frontman and Igor's brother] did called 'Hellfire'. It's amazing. We're really happy with the results of the collaboration."

On whether "Psychosis" is taking on a more industrial direction because of Broadrick's involvement:

Igor: "There's a little bit of everything, I think. There is some influence from the GODFLESH era and stuff like that, but there's a lot more going on through the whole record."

"Roots", along with 1993's "Chaos A.D.", is considered SEPULTURA's most commercially successful release, having been certified gold in 2005 by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association Of America) for U.S. shipments in excess of 500,000 copies.

In 1996, Max exited SEPULTURA after the rest of the band fired Max's wife Gloria as their manager.

Igor left SEPULTURA in June 2006 due to "artistic differences." His departure from the band came five months after he announced that he was taking a break from SEPULTURA's touring activities to spend time with his second wife and their new son (who was born in January 2006).

"Psychosis" will be released on November 17 via Napalm Records. The disc, which was produced by longtime friend Arthur Rizk, was recorded primarily at a studio in Phoenix, Arizona.