SEPULTURA's ANDREAS KISSER: 'I Wouldn't Change Anything In My Life'

In a recent interview with Australia's AndrewHaug.com, SEPULTURA guitarist Andreas Kisser spoke about how making music and touring around the world has helped him deal with adversity. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Everything in my life is music related. It's been a part of my life since very early, since I was born, actually. My family was very musical, not in the professional level, but listening to music. My mom could play a little accordion. I started music with my grandma's acoustic guitar. She used to sing folk songs from Austria and Germany and Slovenia. And plus Brazil is a very musical country.

"I think, for me, I'm here because of music, really," he continued. "It was never because of fame or to grab girls or to drive fast cars and all that stuff. I'm here because I love what I do, and something that I always remind myself. It's where I came from, a garage. I mean, dreaming about, to play out, to play in a concert or to record an album, to have a band logo and stuff like that. I went to the school, and of course dreaming and writing and drawing KISS figures and dreaming about my own bands and stuff. And here I am, because I really believed that I could do it and [it was] possible, and I prepared myself, I studied music and I tried to find the best partners. And SEPULTURA came into my life in a very special moment, which I didn't know what to do. My band in Brazil was not really working and school was crap. I didn't have a girlfriend. It was horrible. And then SEPULTURA came and everything started to fall in place. And I found guys with Max [Cavalera, former SEPULTURA guitarist/vocalist], Igor [Cavalera, former SEPULTURA drummer] and Paulo [Xisto Pinto Jr., SEPULTURA bassist] that had the same urge or the same aim and the same goals and the same objective. And we did what we did together. And, of course, the changes with Max leaving. Not only the singer, but we lost management, we lost the label, basically, we lost the music producers of the album — we lost everything. And that's why we are here today now, stronger than ever, because we learned how to deal with our shit. We faced our problems. We're challenged by them. And we learned how to deal with business, we learned how to fix all the economic problems and to build a very strong company that we have today. And I'm very thankful that we went through all of that. I wouldn't change anything in my life."

Kisser went on to say that facing obstacles in life is when you get to "know yourself and the people around you. That's exactly the type of situation that people are really truthful and you really know who they are and who [you are]," he explained. "You learn about yourself a lot, and then you have new possibilities and new ways to grow. And art in general is fantastic because you can express yourself through music and through lyrics and to the concerts and stuff, and it's very healthy to deal with stuff in your mind. A lot of people listen to music to try to deal with their things, and we have this privilege to be musicians, so it definitely helps."

Earlier in the month, SEPULTURA announced that it will celebrate its 40th anniversary next year by embarking on a "farewell tour" which will cover the entire globe. Starting in March 2024, SEPULTURA will spend 18 months celebrating the band's past and the present one final time.

In the works for two years, SEPULTURA's final tour, titled "Celebrating Life Through Death", will start with dates in Brazil, and will include shows in Latin America and the United States, with the promise of additional dates to be revealed soon.

SEPULTURA comprises Kisser, vocalist Derrick Green, bassist Paulo Xisto Pinto Jr. and drummer Eloy Casagrande.

Andreas's wife, Patricia Perissinoto Kisser, passed away in July 2022 after a battle with colon cancer. She had just turned 52 years old one day before her death.

Andreas and the couple's three children, Giulia, Yohan and Enzo, announced Patricia's death in a social media post. They wrote: "It is with deep sadness that we have to share that Patricia Perissinoto Kisser passed away this morning. She will remain in our memories forever."

Andreas and Patricia had been together for 32 years after first getting together in 1990. They married in 1994.