MAX CAVALERA Talks SEPULTURA’s Impending Retirement: “They Still Call It SEPULTURA, But Everybody Knows That It’s Not The Same”

In the wake of Sepultura’s impending retirement, a familiar tension has re-emerged between the band’s founding brothers and its remaining members. In a new interview on Full Metal Jackie’s nationally syndicated radio show, Max Cavalera opened up about what it feels like to witness the end of a band that shaped his early life.

“To me, I feel — and I’m not saying that just for myself — I think a lot of fans feel that me and Igor kind of carry the spirit of Sepultura with us on everything that we do,” said the 55-year-old guitarist and vocalist. “And I don’t know — they still call it Sepultura, but everybody knows that it’s not the same, and it’s never gonna be the same.”

While Max and his brother Igor “Iggor” Cavalera, the band’s original drummer, have been playing shows centered around the group’s early material, they remain disconnected from the decisions being made by the current lineup.

“I don’t have nothing to do with what they’re doing, with the disbanding of the band. Me and Igor, we have our own path, we are on our own thing, and we are revisiting those old materials on our own time. And the way we did them was the way we always did — it was from our heart. For us, it’s really special to preserve that.”

Max’s reflections speak to a deeper emotional connection, one that appears to outlast the name or the lineup. “I think it’s kind of like that young heart, the teenage heart that lives inside of you. I kind of like to keep that really sacred. No matter what happens in the business or the politics of music, I try not to let that affect my young mind and soul that I carry with me all the time. So I feel like that when I talk about Sepultura. It was a special band of a special time, and we celebrate that — I get a chance to celebrate that with Igor, regardless of what the other guys are doing.”

In a recent discussion with Sakis Fragos, publisher and chief editor of Rock Hard Greece, Max addressed whether he had been invited by the current band members to join Sepultura‘s final concert on their farewell tour. He clarified, “I have not been approached. In fact, I think I saw one thing Andreas Kisser, of course, said in an interview, like, ‘Why are we gonna ask them? They’re gonna spoil the party,’ which is very typical laughs of Andreas to say that”, he laughed.

Max continued, “I don’t know. I think I’m gonna let things happen the way they’re gonna happen. I’m not gonna force anything, and if there comes a time when we feel that we should make a reunion — okay, fine, as long as we do it the right way. Just like with these re-recordings [of early Sepultura albums that Igor and I are doing under the Cavalera name. I think we made them the right way — honest, proper, from the heart.”

Cavalera concluded the topic by saying, “So right now I’m not thinking about that. I know they announced the end of the band. I don’t understand this idea. I don’t know if they were forced to do it or if it’s a mutual decision of just stop playing ’cause you don’t wanna do it anymore. I don’t know. I cannot live without music. I need to play live. It’s like the air I breathe. I love what I’m doing right now with Igor, with Cavalera, and we’re gonna continue.”