SEPULTURA's DERRICK GREEN: 'There's A Lot Of People That Just Get So Trapped In The Past'

In a new interview with DJ Force X, SEPULTURA frontman Derrick Green was asked about the criticism that has been leveled at him and his bandmates about the perceived lack of stability in the group's lineup, particularly in the years following the departures of founding members Max and Igor Cavalera. He said (hear audio below): "It definitely has been a good, solid run so far, keeping the same drummer for the past three albums. It was almost like a curse before — we'd get to almost three with one person, and then it would be over. With Igor, there's definitely [more] albums.

"People forget very quickly — we heard a lot of the same things that people are saying before, when Max left the band and Igor was in the band, and he's an original member," Derrick continued. "So, we realized that a lot of people didn't really know what they were talking about; they were just kind of saying what other people are saying. And that's kind of the majority of the way people run in groups that don't wanna be singled out. They wanna be a part of a group, people saying the same thing. And for me, that's always been — I come from a hardcore punk rock scene, where I was, like, 'Fuck that.' I never wanted that. That was the reason I got into underground music — so you can have your own opinion and not be a part of this fucking gang of people [going], 'Yeah, you're right, man.' You don't wanna stand out and look different. I was, like, no, I always wanted to stand out [and] always [wanted to] look different. And that was something that continued with SEPULTURA.

"We were a band [that formed in] Brazil," Green added. "I've been in the band for over 20 years. I had to move to Brazil and I learned the language. There's a really beautiful history about the band, even before I was in the band, but it's still continuing onwards. And for people who wanna hear it, wanna see it, wanna investigate it for themselves and not pay so much attention to what's happening online or what their other friend is saying, or what this old-school friend is saying, they start just becoming old. It's not old-school — those people just end up becoming really old. I mean, I'm no spring chicken, but at the same time, mentally wise, I still wanna create music and try new things and listen to new music and go out and see shows. But there's a lot of people that just get so trapped in the past. And that's not only in the music scene, but just in general in life. They get in their comfort zone and they find it very hard to step outside of that. And they become like — like, your parents are, like, 'Oh, I don't understand that. There's nothing good now. This is just noise.' And all they do is complain about how it's not the same. It's, like, obviously, it's not the same. Nothing is the same. Everything has been passing you by, changing. That's life. That's sad in a way, but at the same time, what's really inviting is the fact that there are people who weren't around then, who are listening to new things, who have their own opinion and go to shows. And that's really kept SEPULTURA alive — that open mentality. There are old fans that are like that, too, as well, but it took them some time to get used to change, but change is gonna happen, whether you like it or not."

SEPULTURA's latest album, "Quadra", was released on February 7 via Nuclear Blast Records. The disc is a concept effort created at Sweden's Fascination Street Studios with renowned producer Jens Bogren. It will be followed by a world tour starting in March.

SEPULTURA comprises Green, bassist Paulo Xisto Pinto Jr., guitarist Andreas Kisser and drummer Eloy Casagrande.