SEPULTURA
Sepultura's rise is unstoppable! After the Brazilian bushmen were laughed at for their 'early works', they gained respect from the writing community and almost all thrash fans with their last album, "Beneath The Remains". The growing popularity even led to Sepultura being booked for this year's 'Rock in Rio' festival - certainly one of the highlights in the band's history, only surpassed by the current cover story in this magazine. Singer and rhythm guitarist Max Cavalera (a nice guy, by the way) talked about the new album, "Arise" and a lot of other things.
The speed of your development is almost impossible to understand. What are the reasons for this and how do you assess your own progress?
I think that we have developed quite normally - our ambition and our talent are no greater than those of other bands. There is certainly a huge difference between our debut and "Arise", but then again, there are several years between them. From the beginning, our music had the same aggression and violence that still characterizes us today. We have simply become technically better and more experienced musicians who are also exposed to new influences and - albeit unconsciously - integrate them into our songwriting.
Speaking of influences: Who are they?
Bläck Sabbath, Motörhead, Sex Pistols, UK Subs, Lard...
Are your technical improvements based on many hours of practice?
We rehearse for five hours from Monday to Friday. We take the weekend off and get drunk - just like at a normal job (haha).
Do you rely on teachers?
No, we taught ourselves to play and still practice alone today.
Let's talk specifically about "Arise": How do you rate the album in comparison to its predecessors?
"Arise" is more complex and aggressive; the vocals are more angry and mean; and although the songs are not necessarily slower, I find them harder and heavier than our old stuff. Fortunately, since we were not put under any pressure by our record company and our album is not played on the radio anyway, we did not have to make any concessions. And we just wanted an even harder album... From what you said about tempos, you also think that hardness does not necessarily have to be related to speed. Exactly. There are several ways to sound hard and aggressive. Listen to Prong, for example: ultra-hard and by no means fast!
This was the first time you didn't record in Brazil. Instead, you went to Scott Burns in Florida. What impressions did you take home with you?
The studio was simply amazing. In Brazil there is nowhere near as much technology - and Scott knows it very well, because he has been working there for around six years. We also finally had a lot of time. Everything was much more professional than before and so the recordings were a lot of fun. It's actually logical that the result is our best album to date.
What influence did Scott Burns have on you?
In the studio, he was practically our fifth band member. He gave us lots of good advice and tips, but was never offended if we didn't like one of his ideas. That's how a producer should be!
Did he also write the lyrics? They aren't formulated nearly as crudely anymore…
No. In the last two years, I've given a lot of interviews and my English has inevitably improved. This was obviously noticeable when I wrote the lyrics. I used to write everything in Portuguese first and then translate it; today I think and write directly in English.
This is of course an advantage, especially when it comes to idioms. It also makes singing easier for me, as I can remember the lyrics better.
How was the performance at the 'Rock in Rio' festival?
Overwhelming! We only played for half an hour, but everyone was fully behind us, so there was a great atmosphere. That was not really to be expected with this billing with Guns 'n' Roses and David Lee Roth.
The German band Pink Cream 69 was so shocked by the crime in Rio that they wrote a text about their impressions ("Stray Kid"). Is it really that bad there?
Yes, Rio is terrible. Because of the widespread corruption, you can't even trust the police, so crime is becoming more and more widespread. If you want to survive there, you have to be able to protect yourself. Fortunately, where we come from, it's not quite as bad, even if the conditions are by no means peaceful. We need this breeding ground, because if everything is positive, you don't build up aggression that you can then let out with music.
Have you ever thought about emigrating?
Yes, but I haven't been able to decide to do so yet because I have a kind of love-hate relationship with Brazil. The country and especially the government are crap, but I have so many good friends there that I don't want to leave.
/ Marcus Schleutermann