SOULFLY's MAX CAVALERA Is Already Working On Material For Follow-Up To 'Chama'

In a new interview with Laughing Monkey With Shawn Ratches, Max Cavalera confirmed that he has started putting together material for the follow-up to SOULFLY's thirteenth album, "Chama", which came out last October via Nuclear Blast Records. "I have already some ideas for the new SOULFLY, because I really believe 'Chama' is kind of a record that is a really special record for me because I think it's a record that set up the blueprint for what SOULFLY is gonna become on the next 10 years," he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "So I think the next record is even more important than 'Chama', because it's a continuation of what we started, and I think it's something that we can actually evolve with it. We can develop that further and go deeper into this idea."

Max went on to praise his son, SOULFLY drummer Zyon Cavalera, who co-produced "Chama". Max said: "I love the musicianship that's going on. Zyon's playing his ass off right now. We nickname him 'The Octopus', because he looks like an [octopus when he's playing]. People love to watch him, man. It's cool. We play festivals and you see other bands' drummers on the side of the stage, and they don't even look at me. They just look at Zyon the whole night. It's pretty cool."

SOULFLY will embark on a U.S. tour this fall. The 25-date trek kicks off with a featured festival appearance at Louder Than Life, with performances in Dallas, Salt Lake City, and West Hollywood before wrapping up with a massive hometown headline show in Tempe, Arizona, on October 15. Support on the tour will come from NAILBOMB, Max's 1990s cult-favorite industrial sludge/crust punk side project, and INCITE.

Last fall, SOULFLY completed the "Favela Dystopia" 2025 West Coast tour with GO AHEAD AND DIE. The 17-date trek launched on November 1, 2025 in Roswell and concluded on November 23 in Flagstaff.

The word "chama" itself literally translates to "flame", but it also embodies the burning vitality of the human spirit, the strength of ancestors, the forces of nature that bind us to the tempo of the earth. Accompanying the album "Chama" is the story of a boy from the dingy favelas of Brazil, who in search of a higher power, finds himself amongst the tribes of the Amazon, who show him the way of the jungle's souls.

Max has been playing alongside Zyon for over a decade, and for the first time in SOULFY's career, Max has passed the "Chama" producing credits and creative direction to his son. Zyon has brought an intensity and commitment to the band that is fresh and invigorating, stomping through song after song like a driven warhorse. If you've seen SOULFLY live with Zyon then you know he commands the stage from behind the drum set, directing the tempo and swing of each song like a well-seasoned general.

"Chama" was recorded at the Platinum Underground Studio in Mesa, Arizona by John Aquilino. John has worked with Max and company multiple times before and is not only a talented engineer but a family friend. The album was produced by Zyon and Arthur Rizk. The latter was also responsible for the mixing and mastering. Rizk has not only worked with the Cavalera family numerous times before, but has also helped to shape the world of heavy metal in the modern day. SOULFLY enlisted Carletta Parrish to create the album artwork. For the album, Igor Amadeus Cavalera (GO AHEAD & DIE, NAILBOMB, HEALING MAGIC) played bass and Mike De Leon played guitar.

Guitarist Mike DeLeon has been touring with SOULFLY for three years. Prior to hooking up with SOULFLY, DeLeon had been a member of PANTERA singer Philip Anselmo's solo band PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS, which he joined in 2015 as the replacement for Marzi Montazeri. More recently, Mike filled in for Zakk Wylde at the first rehearsal for the fall 2022 PANTERA shows.