SEPULTURA's ANDREAS KISSER Slams 'Crazy' MAX CAVALERA Over Reunion Talk

David E. Gehlke of Blistering.com recently conducted an interview with SEPULTURA guitarist Andreas Kisser. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Blistering.com: What drew you to the concept of "A Clockwork Orange" [as the inspiration for the new SEPULTURA album, "A-Lex"]?

Kisser: We're very big fans of the movie. It's a classic. Very special and powerful and I'm familiar with the story and consequences. Since we did the "Dante XXI" album that was inspired by a book, we went onto movies and in Brazil, we have soundtracks. It's great to write music for a movie and you get more creative and the more limitations you have [with the storyline], the more creative you get. In the movies, you have to respect the director and certain scenes, storyline, so you do stuff you normally wouldn't do. We have to do more with less.

Blistering.com: Is there any resentment toward the new lineup in Brazil? In North America, it seems the old lineup is that all people want to concern themselves when it comes to SEPULTURA.

Kisser: Everywhere we feel very positive vibrations. Max has played a lot more in America than us, so his point of view was spread much more in the press. I guess that's normal, it's propaganda. Max [Cavalera; former SEPULTURA and current SOULFLY/CAVALERA CONSPIRACY frontman] is crazy — he says crazy stuff in interviews, contradicts himself a lot and you can never count on what he says, so I guess people are confused. People can say or think whatever they want, but I wish we could have done without that. We are going to have the chance to go back to America. This album is really strong and the reaction has been strong as well. I've been doing a lot of interviews with people in the United States and it's been very positive. People have to listen to the music with an open mind and ears and not with all the gossip and politics and bullshit. SEPULTURA is something that is alive. It's not something that stopped in '95 or '96. We create this band everyday.

Blistering.com: Do you brace yourself with every interview you do for the question regarding a SEPULTURA reunion?

Kisser: Definitely [laughs]. Since Max left, it's been going on and when Igor left…even more so. Some people make up the pressure for us to do it, but there's nothing to it — we're not interested in it all. We're very focused on what we're doing now and that's because we want to lead and do whatever we want. I don't understand all of this bullshit. We're very alive and looking toward the future — we're not plastic people.

Blistering.com: Along those lines, do you think had you decided to be more vocal about the split, there would have been more focus on this version of SEPULTURA?

Kisser: I don't buy that stuff. Max is crazy and doesn't make any sense and can change from month to month. There's nothing good about it and there's one version of the story and we have ours and we know what happened. We're not into revising history or telling a story regarding what happened. Only time will tell. Talk is cheap. You can say whatever you want, but your actions and ability to do things, that's what counts. We'll do it. We're not talking [laughs].

Read the entire interview at Blistering.com.