SEPULTURA Guitarist Says New Drummer Has Added 'Lots Of Energy And Motivation' To The Band

Sonic Violence recently conducted an interview with guitarist Andreas Kisser of Brazilian/American thrashers SEPULTURA. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

On the departure of drummer Jean Dolabella, who played in SEPULTURA for five years (2006-2011):

Kisser: "[Before he made the made the decision to leave] he didn't know what he wanted, really. I guess he didn't have too much support from his house and family, so he decided to stay closer to them and do something else in music. Too bad he left the band with an unfinished job. We are still touring for [the latest SEPULTURA album] 'Kairos' and we have a lot to do this year. But he is an amazing musician, brought a lot of good stuff for SEPULTURA and I wish the best of luck in his new career… [It] was all good, we talked a lot, since the beginning of 2011 and after the MACHINE HEAD tour in South America he left. We had time to prepare the change without too much hassle."

On SEPULTURA's new drummer, 21-year-old São Paulo native Eloy Casagrande:

Kisser: "Eloy was a suggestion from many friends. I knew him for a while, saw him playing with André Matos [ANGRA] and with his last band, GLÓRIA, but didn't know how he would be playing SEPULTURA stuff, so we did an audition and he was amazing — really powerful with great technique. He is a young guy, but with some experience. He did a great tour with us last year and we are glad he's with us now . . [He adds] lots of energy and motivation. Soon we will start writing some new material and let's see what kind of ideas he can bring to the band."

On how the Internet has affected how SEPULTURA and other bands promote their music:

Kisser: "I do not download music from the Net, I have no patience, but the Internet is here to stay and we have to deal with that. The good thing about it is that today you have more chances to show your music without being dependent on a label; the channel is open for anyone, and this is awesome — more freedom and less power to the labels. I think we are still on a transition phase; everything happened too fast, so we are still trying to adapt to this new scenario."

On his relationship with his former SEPULTURA bandmates Max and Igor Cavalera:

Kisser: "I have an open channel to contact them, which is really cool, something that was totally closed some years ago. It's nice to talk to them again without the pressure of working together."

On whether Derrick Green will ever take up Max Cavalera's rhythm guitar position:

Kisser: "No, not really and why? Just because Max played guitar? I think is stupid to try to copy something that is not there anymore. We have to respect what we have, work with that, and not be a slave from the past. Derrick is not a thrash guitar player. He can play guitar, but not SEPULTURA's music. He's using his abilities on percussion and he's developing a really cool style on it."

Read the entire interview from Sonic Violence.