SEPULTURA's ANDREAS KISSER: MAX And IGOR CAVALERA 'Are Totally Different People Than I Used To Know'

Dawn Brown of Metal Wani conducted an interview with guitarist Andreas Kisser of Brazilian/American metallers SEPULTURA on June 1 in Baltimore, Maryland. You can now watch the chat below.

Asked how SEPULTURA dealt with all the fan backlash when the band decided to carry on following the departures of founding members Max Cavalera [guitar, vocals) and Igor Cavalera (drums),Andreas responded: "With a lot of patience and wisdom, I guess. [Laughs] I don't like to go inside and really respond. I respect any type of opinion. I mean, you are entitled to have your opinion. You have a brain, you have a mouth, you have your own experiences, you have your education, you have your religion… whatever. You know, among all that information, you're gonna have some type of opinion. And I don't have to agree with them, but I respect them.

"There are so many different SEPULTURAs in everybody's heads and everybody's minds, and it's really impossible to fulfill expectations from anyone but ourselves.

"We always focus on music. That's why I'm here. That's why I joined SEPULTURA. That's why we did what we did — because we like to get on stage. All the rest is a consequence, for the good or worse. Like being away from home and family and stuff. But we do what we love, so it makes a balance, to keep my family doing the job I do. Even though it's a hard job, to travel and stuff…

"Max and Igor are doing so many different things now; they are totally different people than I used to know. I don't talk to them as often as I did. [It's] very rare… At least we have an open communication — e-mail and stuff. But we keep to ourselves. And I don't see [a reason for] coming back [together with Max and Igor] from a business point of view. We are good where we're at. It's not a desperate move."

"Like I said, it's just opinions… wishes. There are so many different words to describe things…

"This age of reunion was, kind of, a pain in the ass, because everybody was coming back — from THE POLICE to FAITH NO MORE to… I mean, you name it… everybody. So they're, like, 'All right. When is SEPULTURA gonna do a reunion? Now is time.' I mean, from your way of seeing things, maybe, but not for us. We never stopped. It's thirty years of a band where we never really stopped… relentless, really, doing what we believe. And it's not the easy way when you're doing what you believe instead of just going with the flow. 'Ah, now it's this. Now it's grunge…' Or, 'Let's change SEPULTURA music because of that.' No, we just do what we really like, as always. We really believe and we defend that."

Igor left SEPULTURA in June 2006 due to "artistic differences." His departure from the band came five months after he announced that he was taking a break from SEPULTURA's touring activities to spend time with his second wife and their new son (who was born in January 2006).

In 1996, Max exited SEPULTURA after the rest of the band fired Max's wife Gloria as their manager.