MAX CAVALERA: The Only Person Preventing Reunion Of Classic SEPULTURA Lineup Is PAULO

Brandon Marshall of Sonic Excess recently conducted an interview with SOULFLY/CAVALERA CONSPIRACY frontman Max Cavalera. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Sonic Excess: How was it to perform in Brazil [with CAVALERA CONSPIRACY on October 11, 2010 at the SWU Music and Arts Festival at the Maeda Farm in Itú, about 43.5 miles away from São Paulo] after so many years, and meet the Brazilian fans again, and were you overwhelmed by the response you got?

Max: Amazing! It was so good to go back. It was a great festival, and to be honest, I was nervous because it was my first time in Brazil since 2002, and it was my first show with Igor [Cavalera, Max's brother and CAVALERA CONSPIRACY/ex-SEPULTURA drummer] in Brazil since I split up with SEPULTURA. The minute the first note was played, the crowd just went crazy. I heard from some people that the show got really good reviews saying our show was one of the best of the festival. So, I was really happy to hear that.

Sonic Excess: Members of SEPULTURA (guitarist Andreas Kisser and bassist Paulo Xisto Pinto Jr.) were in the audience for the [CAVALERA CONSPIRACY] show in Brazil. Did you have a chance to talk with them, or did you see them in the crowd?

Max: No, I saw pictures. It was actually kind of funny. One guy wrote underneath [referring to the comments section of BLABBERMOUTH.NET], "How cute, Andreas brought his father to the show." It was Paulo, and I guess Paulo looks really old these days. (laughs) But I did not see them, even though I was walking around backstage. I saw some other friends from Brazil, from my old times from when I lived there, but I didn't see those guys.

Sonic Excess: Will SOULFLY or CAVALERA CONSPIRACY be going back to Brazil?

Max: I really hope so. It would be really great to have SOULFLY down there, because the last time we played Brazil was in 2002 in Recife. It was a great show. We went on at around 2:00 a.m., and people went fucking nuts.

Sonic Excess: [SOULFLY] recently parted [ways] with Bobby Burns (bass). Why was that?

Max: He just wasn't feeling it anymore. Even though I think he regrets it now, because he sent some emails about how much he missed the SOULFLY camp and the activities. He wasn't there for us anymore. He was very distant and not feeling the same way that we felt. When you're in SOULFLY, it's part of a family, it's a hardcore routine. If it's a show with 10 people or 10,000 people, I want them to play the same, with no rock-star bullshit. Bobby started drinking and missing notes, so that became a problem. All that accumulated into, like, enough was enough. We thought it was better if he left, so we could get someone in this band to make it more powerful.

Sonic Excess: But Johny Chow is working out great now, right?

Max: For the moment. He [also] plays for CAVALERA CONSPIRACY so he knew all the songs, and he was available at the last minute. We took him to Europe, and now to the states, but we are meeting with some more base players, and we hope to have someone by the beginning of next year.

Sonic Excess: The classic SEPULTURA lineup reunion is always a subject, and it almost happened. Why did it fall though? I also heard that you will join SEPULTURA for Rock in Rio III. If this is true, will Igor be joining you?

Max: I have not heard anything about that, as far as trying to get SEPULTURA back together. I did call Andreas, and I had a real good talk with him. It sounded like he wanted to do it, and I had Igor onboard for the reunion. I think the only person preventing it is Paulo. I don't know why, but I think Paulo is really against the reunion. People should ask him why he is so against it, because I think it would be a great think for the fans to see the original lineup. SEPULTURA was one of the most important bands in the metal scene, and it would have been really cool to do it. I don't need a reunion, because SOULFLY and CAVALERA CONSPIRACY are doing great, but I would like to do it for the fans to show them we had this kick-ass band. We can do it again, but people should ask Paulo why it doesn't appeal to him.

Sonic Excess: Have you listened to the new SEPULTURA CDs? If so, what is your opinion on them?

Max: No, I never felt like I wanted to. I never got the chance, or the albums, not even the stuff that Igor did. I never got to hear that. I don't know; [I'm] not familiar with it, man. To me it's really weird. SEPULTURA, to me, has a name. It was something I created in high school, and it was like my baby for all these years. I came up with the name, and I wrote a lot of the songs. When I left, it was really hard for me to go and listen to something called "SEPULTURA" [without me involved].

Sonic Excess: Do you think it's appropriate, with you and Igor not in the band anymore, for it to still be called SEPULTURA?

Max: The original band is not in the band anymore, me and Igor are out. Igor was original, because he was there in the beginning. But now that we both are out, I don't see the credibility.

Read the entire interview from Sonic Excess.

"Jornal da Globo" news report with footage of Andreas Kisser and Paulo Xisto Pinto Jr. watching CAVALERA CONSPIRACY perform: