Since leaving Sepultura back in late 1996, vocalist/guitarist
Max Cavalera has been determined in his efforts to ensure that his new
band Soulfly had a musical identity that was different from not only
his previous band, but also every other act on the scene - in every
conceivable way.
With the aid of a constantly revolving and evolving line-up
throughout the ensuing years, Cavalera has led Soulfly through four
full-length albums (1998's 'Soulfly', 2000's 'Primitive', 2002's '3'
and 2004's 'Prophecy'), all of which have their own distinct character,
but tied together with their success covered a whole multitude of musical
genres through continual experimentation and the pushing forward of
new ideas.
While 2004's 'Prophecy' was hailed as somewhat of a return
to the more metallic side of Cavalera's roots, it's Soulfly's fifth
album ('Dark Ages') that will have many praising the resurrection of
the true Cavalera spirit.
On a day off in Tampa (Florida), I caught up with Cavalera
a week into the new tour with Soulfly (who also consist of guitarist
Mark Rizzo, bassist Bobby Burns and drummer Joe Nunez) in support of
'Dark Ages'.
"We're doing OK. We've only played three shows so
far in this first week of the new tour, but so far it's been going really
good. 'Dark Ages' has only just come out, but a lot of fans have been
turning up to the shows early in order to hear the new songs, so it's
very exciting."
Cavalera doesn't seem to have wasted a single moment in
the last twelve months. After 'Prophecy' came their first DVD, 'The
Song Remains Insane' (released in March 2005), only to be followed up
seven months later with a brand new album in 'Dark Ages'.
"That's right. This album turned around a little
quicker than normal for us. It's strange, because to me at least, it
seems that the time in between both 'Prophecy' and 'Dark Ages' was a
long time! (Laughs) I didn't really take any time off either. As soon
as the world tour in support of 'Prophecy' was finished, I went straight
back into the studio to start work on 'Dark Ages'".
Another reason for Soulfly's quick follow up was the shortened
tour in support of 'Prophecy' compared to previous tours that Soulfly
have undertaken over the years.
"The 'Prophecy' world tour was a little shorter than
the ones we had done in the past. We missed out on playing places like
Australia and South America, but we hope that we can do them this time
around with 'Dark Ages'. It wasn't my decision really. There were some
tours that were planned, but we ended up doing the Black Sabbath tour
in Europe, and some more touring in the US (including a month long stint
in February with Morbid Angel) instead. I think the reason that South
America and Australia in particular were missed was purely a question
of finding the right promoter, getting the right offer and things like
that. It just didn't work out the way we wanted it to. I really couldn't
wait around too long so we ended up just stopping the tour there and
going straight into the studio to make a new album. In the end, I think
it was a good decision because now we have a new album, and it's much
better to tour behind a new album when you're travelling to the same
places you were a year ago. I think you'll see us finally come down
to Australia next year for a tour."
The addition of the new album also gives Soulfly more
ammunition in regards to the make up of a set list for their present
tour as well.
"We have a really big set list now, which is really
cool because I now have five albums to choose from. It's been a lot
of fun choosing which songs to put in the set list, and provide something
new for the fans that may have missed out on the 'Prophecy' tour. We
play for almost an hour and forty minutes, and aside from the Soulfly
songs, we also play some Nailbomb and Sepultura songs as well. We don't
really do the same set of songs every night. We're able to change the
set list every night, which keeps it fresh for us as performers on the
road, and also for the fans. It's always good to go back to songs that
we haven't played for a while, and kind of give the song a complete
makeover. We give them plastic surgery in a sense, and make them sound
like the band sounds at the moment! (Laughs)"
Although having only been out for as little as a week,
'Dark Ages' seems to have been overwhelmingly received from both press
and fans alike, and the fact hasn't been lost on Cavalera one bit.
"We have heard a lot of positive feedback from everywhere.
The only place I haven't heard from is Brazil, and that's only because
the album isn't released there yet. But everywhere in the US, Europe
and in Australia, it has really had great reviews from the press, and
has reached the charts in a lot of places in Europe. The fans too seem
to love it, and I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that's
it's heavier. But to be honest, all the Soulfly albums are special to
me in their own way. I never really stopped making the music I love,
and I've always put it out there with the faith some people out there
will like what I do. But it's great to hear that your work is really
being appreciated by a lot of people. It makes you feel good. I just
like to play music."
The precursor to 'Dark Ages' was obviously 'Prophecy',
which saw a slight return back to the heavier side of Cavalera's music.
But it wasn't just a natural progression that helped create 'Dark Ages',
but rather a conscious decision to create heavy music once again.
"I always like to give fans things that they wouldn't
necessarily expect. I view myself as a diverse musician and I always
like to deliver something a little different all the time. What was
interesting to me about 'Dark Ages' is the fact that for me to go back
to heavier and darker material was completely unexpected! (Laughs) It
was something that I realised quite a few years ago. I think it was
around the time Sepultura came out with 'Arise' (1991). To make another
heavy album straight after that would have been seen as just another
heavy album. And that's why we came out with 'Chaos A.D.' (1993) when
we did. The same can be said for Soulfly. There's been a lot of transition
in the music over the years where we did a lot of different things.
So it was actually cool to actually make a heavy album, something that
was completely unexpected. The last kind of band that I can remember
who did that was Ministry. At the time they had just released 'Psalm
69' (1992) and we went out on tour with them. It was their heaviest
album to date, and it has always been my favourite Ministry album ever
since then. They were already very popular at the time, but when they
released 'Psalm 69', they exploded. But the strange thing was that 'Psalm
69' was heavier and darker than anything they had ever done in the past.
That kind of statement really hit home with me. Only a very few bands
can actually do such a thing. So I thought I would try the same thing
with Soulfly. I thought it would be a pretty cool thing to go a little
darker, and return back to the heaviness. And I had the musicians to
do it, so we just went ahead and got knee deep into the subject. I really
think that was a good thing to do. It's not something that you do, just
to do it. Of course, we felt good about doing it, but when you make
an album, and you're aware that you'll be playing the songs live for
a long time, so it's always in the back of your mind. You have to make
an album that you like first and foremost, and you can only hope that
the fans like it too. That has been very much the case with all my albums.
I'm just trying to make metal a little bit different. I love all kinds
of metal, like everything from Slayer to Iron Maiden. I think I've been
put here in the metal scene for a reason, and that's to provide something
a little different to most. I've accepted that idea, and I'm trying
to do my part. I guess you could say that in a sense that as I'm getting
older, I'm moving back into heavier stuff, rather than getting softer.
I'm moving in the opposite direction to most people."
Reactions towards 'Dark Ages' have been so favourable
that it's even led some people (like myself) to claim that it's as close
as Cavalera has ever dared Soulfly to sound like his days back in Sepultura.
"I would have to say yes because I carry the spirit
of Sepultura within myself. The things I did within Sepultura are the
same as that I did when I immediately left the band, and the same things
that I am doing right now. I could possibly change that, but I don't
see the point. Why would I want to change that? It's me. So it's something
that I have accepted. It's a reality that my voice and my riffs will
always remind people of the sounds that were a part of Sepultura, and
that's because it's from deep within me that this stuff is coming from.
I don't feel uncomfortable with those comparisons. Some musicians in
my place might do, but I don't. I think that's very natural. If 'Dark
Ages' reminds people of Sepultura, then I only hope it reminds them
of the old Sepultura with me and not the new one! (Laughs) Most people
however have said that it does remind them of the old Sepultura, so
sure, it's a good compliment."
No Soulfly album is complete without a few guest appearances,
and 'Dark Ages' is no exception, with the first being vocalist Billy
Milano (M.O.D./S.O.D.) guesting on 'Molotov'.
"That wasn't really planned at all. We already had
the song 'Molotov' written, and I wanted to have three different vocalists
on it because I wanted it to be very different than anything else that
I had done in the past. I got my friend Paul (Fillipenko) from Russia
to sing on some of it, and then I sang some lines in Portuguese. For
the final part, I thought of Milano. It was an odd choice, and not a
lot of people would have expected such a musician to be involved with
a Soulfly album. So really, I was primarily directed by the odd choice
of having him included on the song. I think to make it even more odd
and weird, he recorded his parts on a cell phone. He didn't have time
to come to studio in Phoenix, because we were already running out of
time. So I told him not to bother about not being able to make it, and
just sing it down the cell phone. We recorded that straight into the
studio. He liked that idea a lot. He said it sounded very punk rock!
(Laughs) So we went ahead and recorded his vocals live on the cell phone,
and the distortion on the album is all natural distortion from the cell
phone. I think it's cool because he fits the song. It's probably the
most punk/hardcore sounding song on the album, and I like that Milano
is part of that."
Making another return appearance (after having played
a part on 'Prophecy') is ex-Megadeth/F5 bassist David Ellefson on 'Riotstarter'.
"It was so cool to record with Ellefson again. He
really felt the part, and we connected while making 'Prophecy'. It was
while recording this album I called him up and asked him if he wanted
to be a part of this album too. He said that he would, so I chose the
strangest tune on the album for him. It's not really a band song as
such. It's more along the lines of a Nailbomb tune. I originally wrote
the song in 1997, and it's all drum machines. I learned a lot from making
that Nailbomb album (1994's 'Point Blank'). It taught me a lot about
drum machines, and how to cross them over into the metal world. I think
that was very different for Ellefson. I don't he's ever played to anything
like that before. Well Megadeth certainly didn't play that kind of music,
so I think it was cool and very different for him."
One final guest appearance comes from Ritchie Cavalera
(Max's stepson, and who has guest on a few Soulfly compositions throughout
the years) on the album's final track 'Staystrong'.
"Ritchie's actually on tour with me right now. He
has a band called Incite, and they're opening for us on this US tour,
alongside Throwdown and Blood Simple. They're two very good bands as
well. He sings on 'Staystrong', which I think is a very cool and positive
tune. It's a very personal song that deals with tragedy in life, and
things like that. You have to keep a strong attitude and state of mind,
so I think it's a good positive message used to end the album on. Even
though the album is called 'Dark Ages', there's still a good message
there and that's cool."
I would like to thank Max Cavalera for his generous
time, and Jason Oxenbridge (at Reservoir Promotions) and Roadrunner
Records for making the interview possible.
For more information on Soulfly, check out - http://www.soulfly.com
© Justin Donnelly - justindonnelly@ozemail.com.au
