SOULFLY's MAX CAVALERA Talks About 'The Fall' Of METALLICA

SOULFLY mainman Max Cavalera recently spoke to Movie Poop Shoot about his Brazilian roots, the fall of METALLICA, and his personal connection with the movie "City of God" A couple of excerpts from the interview follow:

Movie Poop Shoot: You come across as being very level-headed. How do you maintain this sort of down-to-earth-ness and still maintain your ability to be a heavy metal performer?

Max Cavalera: "Well, it's a little schizophrenic and I know that. Some people that come on tour sometimes with us and they come back here and I'm sitting here listening to reggae, you know, very chilled out and then I get up and go to the stage and it's like (does trademark Max metal growl) and you know the hell breaks loose. And I come back here and it's normal again. And people have told me, 'Don't you think that's a little bit schizophrenic?' And I think, 'Yeah, but you know, at least I'm doing it through music.' And it's a lot of stuff coming out of me that wouldn't come out…you know, music lets me do that. So I think my family and the people that travel with me keep me on my toes. 'Cause my kids, they are nine, twelve, fifteen…for them I'm not really Max of SOULFLY, I'm just Max the, you know, the dad, whatever, so one minute you have a great review or you have somebody say, 'Man, you saved my life through music,' which is great, I feel really good about that. At the same time, it's like my kid saying, 'I spilled Coke in the living room, I don't want to pick it up.' (both laugh) So I go there and pick it up or whatever you know, so it's cool. It fucking works for me, you know."

Movie Poop Shoot: I think so. Did you happen to catch the documentary on METALLICA?

Max Cavalera: "No, no I haven't. I'd like to. I'd like to watch it, but I haven't yet."

Movie Poop Shoot: Do you think that that's a band that has maybe pushed their limits too far and the fans reacted negatively and do you think the band maybe lost touch with its roots?

Max Cavalera: "I think METALLICA, I feel that they were really on this path, like, maybe to be the most ultimate, unbelievable metal rock band and for some reason they went the other way, you know. And I don't know. I can't answer why but I know the lyrics stopped making as much sense. I don't know, maybe it's money. Money can do a lot of things like that. Who knows what went on their path but it is not the same band. It's kind of a bummer because I really liked them a lot and I thought they were, since, fucking BLACK SABBATH, there's nothing like that, with that level of attitude and intelligence in lyrics. James Hetfield wrote the most amazing lyrics in metal ever. But it's cool, as long as they're happy with it."

Movie Poop Shoot: Do you think they're happy with it?

Max Cavalera: "Uh, I don't think so. I don't think so. It's just like, I think once you make things like that, albums like that, you have to continue to make those kinds of records or you get depressed, so it's like once you did 'Ride the Lightning' and 'Master of Puppets' you have to keep up, you know. So it's one thing for me, I'm kind of glad that I'm in SOULFLY because SEPULTURA was starting to get, you know, people were like basing it on 'Roots', there had to be another 'Roots' and using that which I probably would have taken the challenge. I wouldn't have backed up from it. But I don't know in METALLICA's case. I think a lot of people wanted them to be more like what they used to be, because they were revolutionary. Once you stop being like that, you know like 'Satisfaction is the Death of Desire', that's HATEBREED's album's name, it's great. I think that's kind of what happened to METALLICA. Maybe they fulfilled all their goals and where do you go from there? And on one end it sucks, but sometimes I put myself in their position, and it's even maybe more sad to act like you're still that thing, that kind of guy with the huge, fat bank account. That's even more pathetic."

Read the rest of the interview at this location.