MAX CAVALERA: 'In This Business, It's Very Easy To Think That What You Do Is The Most Important Thing In The World, And It's Not'

In a new interview with Irina Marinescu of Rock FM România, former SEPULTURA and current SOULFLY frontman Max Cavalera was asked what, in his opinion, is "the biggest difference between an artist who becomes a legend and an artist who just plays around." He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "That's a good [question]. Longevity has a lot to do with it. The amount of years you put into this helps. But also — yeah, a little bit of everything. It's never been all easy either. It's been a lot of hardships, a lot of heartbreaks, even tragedy — losing real close people to you yhat had a huge effect in my career. All of that. You can't really separate the bad — the bad comes with the good, and you have to deal with that. And, yeah, I think that's what makes people look at me a certain way. But what I try to do that's very important, I think, is not having a big-headed attitude like a big rock star. I don't like that. I like to stay level-headed. And I think it's good that I can, with having our crew, with my son in the band and my wife in the band, the minute I try to get a big head, they slap me and I'm right back down to earth. Which is great. I love that, because then you're not…

"In this business, it's very easy to think that what you do is the most important thing in the world, and it's not," Max added. "There's a lot of other people curing cancer and stuff like that — much more important — [or] on the war or something. But I also like to believe that music is magic and we help people through music. So what we do is also very important. So we do it in our own way, help the world somehow through the metal, through the music. And it's great."

SOULFLY will embark on a U.S. tour this fall. The 25-date U.S. trek kicks off with a featured festival appearance at Louder Than Life, with performances in Dallas, Salt Lake City, and West Hollywood before wrapping up with a massive hometown headline show in Tempe, Arizona, on October 15. Also appearing on the bill will be cult-favorite industrial sludge/crust punk outfit NAILBOMB, which was formed in 1993 as Max's legendary side project with Alex Newport. Rounding out the tour is Richie Cavalera's INCITE.

SOULFLY's thirteenth album, "Chama", came out on October 24, 2025 via Nuclear Blast Records.

Last fall, SOULFLY completed the "Favela Dystopia" 2025 West Coast tour with GO AHEAD AND DIE. The 17-date trek launched on November 1, 2025 in Roswell and concluded on November 23 in Flagstaff.

SOULFLY drummer — and Max's son — Zyon Cavalera co-produced "Chama", which was recorded at the Platinum Underground Studio in Mesa, Arizona by John Aquilino. John has worked with Max and company multiple times before and is not only a talented engineer but a family friend. The album was produced by Zyon and Arthur Rizk. The latter was also responsible for the mixing and mastering.

Image credit: Thomas Metalum