Archive for May, 2008
Brazilian brothers reunite in Cavalera Conspiracy
May 28, 2008It’s been 12 years since the Cavalera brothers really got to know each other, much less make music together.
When frontman Max Cavalera left Sepultura in 1996, it wasn’t just the end of an era for the band, but the beginning of a long separation from his younger brother Igor, who stayed to play drums.
Last year, Igor Cavalera departed from Sepultura and began mending his relationship with his brother. Although they weren’t planning on making music together, it didn’t take long for the two to reignite one of the best drummer-guitar tandems in thrash history.
“Igor really came back to me not to play first, just as a brother,” Max said in an interview with the Tribune from his home in Phoenix, Ariz.
“(He) just wanted to fix the relationship and be a family again and meet my kids. I’m the instigator of the whole music thing. I put him on the spot.”
Since the two spoke rarely during the previous 10 years, there was a lot of catching up to do. That didn’t mean they couldn’t have some fun playing a few tunes together, just like the old days.
“Of course, I lied to him. I’m like ‘I have 200 songs, man. Don’t even worry about that’,” Max recalled of his first conversations with Igor about getting back together musically. “I had only one song. I remember waking up the next morning and (my wife) Gloria looking at me like, ‘You’re in deep (trouble). You better write some songs ’cause you lied to your brother.’ ”
“I worked on those songs for the whole weekend and sent him a CD with a rough eight songs that ended up being on the record,” he added.
That’s all it took to form Cavalera Conspiracy and produce “Inflikted,” the band’s recently released debut album.
“It’s funny. I’ve been in the business for 20 years or more, me and Igor, and actually to feel that excited to create music again is quite amazing and I feel really blessed,” Max said.
The Cavalera brothers helped form Sepultura in their native Brazil during the mid-’80s, creating one of the most respected bands in metal history. With the Cavalera brothers on board, Sepultura released “Chaos A.D.,” “Beneath the Remains” and “Roots.”
After a bit of controversy, Max left the band to form Soulfly and was replaced by Derrick Green. It was a move that didn’t set well with the metal community or the Cavalera family. Now that’s in the past and the two brothers are making up for lost time.
“It’s great. Igor calls me now, like the day that he likes to call me is Sunday ’cause in Brazil Sunday’s a real family day,” Max said in his thick Brazilian accent. “I talk to all the kids. He’s got some amazing kids, man. One of the girls … she’s a huge Beatles fan and she found out that I recorded with Sean Lennon and she went crazy.”
“It’s cool because I didn’t have that kind of relationship with Igor in Sepultura,” he continued. “I really enjoy this relationship we have now. It’s a little more special and I’m really digging that.”
When the brothers finally got back together to record in the studio, they were able to pick things up right where they left off.
“I was nervous and he was nervous … and we broke the ice, actually live, which I think was good because what better way to find out if you still have the magic than in front of a couple thousand people?” Max said.
After they decided to form a new band, the Cavalera brothers got together and attempted to perform some old Sepultura classics to see if the chemistry was still there.
“I organized about 10 cover songs … so we can get used to the musicians and I remember playing ‘Territory,’ ” Max recalled. “Halfway through, Igor stopped and said ‘good enough. Let’s play some new (stuff).’ I loved that.”
Even the record label didn’t know the brothers had reformed a band and were recording music until they already were knee-deep in new music.
“I never talked to the guys about it at all,” Max said. “It was really a no boundaries, no rules type record. We kept it really secret and Roadrunner didn’t even know we were in the studio. That’s how secret this was. It was like a real conspiracy. By the time Roadrunner knew there was something going on, we were almost to the end.”
There’s a certain connection shared by the brothers when they’re playing together and Max notices a difference with Igor behind the kit.
“We don’t have to say much,” Max said of the musical relationship. “When I throw a riff at Igor, automatically in his head, he thinks of the beat, puts in the riff and most of the time, it’s something different than what I had in mind. He always surprises me with certain beats.”
Bringing in Soulfly guitarist Marc Rizzo and Gojira frontman Joe Duplantier to play bass, the Cavalera brothers would sometimes leave their bandmates scratching their heads during the Cavalera sessions.
“Sometimes the rest of the band couldn’t keep up with me or him, which I think is cool,” Max recalled. “It was just from playing with him for so long. It’s so natural. Totally instinct. That never went away. That’s the beauty of it. Ten years, 12 years, it doesn’t matter. When I play music with him, he’s right back to where he was.”
Douglas can be reached by e-mail at patjessdouglas@netscape.net.
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