The mighty
Soulfly will be unleashing their ninth studio album, “Savages,” on September 30th (North America) and October 4th (Europe) via
Nuclear Blast Entertainment! They’ve already released five studio updates(
watch them here), along with two crushing tracks to preview what we can expect!
“Bloodshed” and
“Master Of Savagery” gives you a good glimpse into the new album, but there is a lot more to it! They still have the extreme style like “
Enslaved” present, yet they throw in more grooves like their earlier material, plus many other surprises! From start to finish, this is a
Soulfly record that represents where they have come from, where they are now, and what the future holds for them!
Pre-order your copy here! You won’t be disappointed!!!
I recently had the honor of speaking with Max Cavalera about “Savages,” having his son behind the kit, new side projects, his upcoming autobiography and much more! Enjoy it below!
Metal Mark- As always Max, thank you for taking out the time today to speak about the upcoming Soulfly record that is coming out in a few weeks! You mentioned before in a studio clip that the title “Savages” comes from all of the war, cannibalism, and destruction done by humans in the world, which is still a very unfortunate, yet relevant, aspect of our society. Do you feel like we will ever live in a time where there are no savages?
Max Cavalera- That’s an interesting question man. I really don’t see that ever happening honestly. I think it’s human nature for some people. It’s hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel, when every day you see more fucked up shit on the news. That’s where the title for the album came from really. It refers to the human condition where we are so advanced in technology and communication could be so great, yet people are still out there killing each other with chemical gases, decapitating people, and doing these horrible things to each other. I don’t really know if it will ever change, but it makes for some really killer music in a weird way. I think the more fucked up the world is, the better music and lyrics you will get out of it. It’s messed up, and shouldn’t be that way, but I think it’s fact and something I’ve always said. If everything was perfect, you could only write so much ya know.
MM- Well said man. When it comes to the music of “Savages,” it’s really an all encompassing record from the Soulfly discography. You get the brutality of “Enslaved,” yet there are seems to be a lot brought back from the first few records, especially groove wise. Was that the direction you wanted when you started writing the new record?
MC- Yea I would say so. I wanted to continue what we started on “Enslaved,” because I really loved that record and what we did. That’s where songs like “Cannibal Holocaust“, “Fallen” and “K.C.S.” came from for the new album. Like you said though, I really wanted to bring back the older, classic Soulfly vibes with the grooves and that’s how the songs like “Bloodshed“, “El Comegente” and “Master Of Savagery” came about. To make it different though, I wanted to bring in some new things that we’ve never done before, like “Ayatollah Of Rock ‘N’ Rolla.” It starts with a “southern rock” riff, has some slide guitar, talking vocals, and a Queens Of The Stone Age kind of beat too. That song is really different, and all over the place, but it’s one of my favorites for sure, because it’s something we’ve never done before, which is what I wanted. So as a whole, it’s a good mixture of extreme metal, groovy metal, and some surprises, so I think Soulfly fans will really dig it.
MM- With the variety of songs featured on the record, why did you choose “Bloodshed” as the first single for the fans to hear?
MC- When we wrote that song, I think we all agreed that the song would be a great opener, and one Soulfly fans would be happy to hear ya know. It’s got that classic vibe, which really kicks off the album in the right way. The opening riff is one of my favorite riffs that I’ve written in the past ten years, so it was cool to get it out there for people to hear. My son, Igor, is featured on the track doing background vocals, and he really added to the whole power of the track for me too. Plus, the ending is something I’m very proud of as well. It’s very melodic in a way, kind of a mixture of Kylesa and Mastodon, and I think it fits the song perfectly. Soulfly really doesn’t go melodic very much, but I think when we do, it’s really cool for us and the fans. So with all those aspects of the song together, it just felt right to get it out there before the others. Honestly though, I think the rest of the record is pretty different from “Bloodshed” though. I don’t think you can judge the whole album from “Bloodshed” either. There are so many different vibes, riffs and structures, that it’s really an album you should listen to in it’s entirety. I know a lot of people don’t do that anymore, but this record has a lot to offer any fan of heavy metal, so I hope the fans give it a proper listen, because we are super proud of it.
MM- This is the first record to feature your son, Zyon, behind the kit, and I heard that he recorded all of these tracks in three days. Is that true, because that’s pretty intense?!
MC- Yea man that’s totally true (laughs). We had been jamming the songs for around two months at our house, so he knew them really well by the time we entered the studio. He knew every beat better than anyone I think, and he made it look easy (laughs). He knew exactly what he was doing, what he needed to play, and it was pretty impressive to watch. With him getting the songs done in three days, it gave us more opportunity and time to work with guitars and vocals, so it worked out well for everyone.
MM- We all know how important your family is in your life, so how special was it for you to have him on this album?
MC- It’s beyond cool man. I mean it was funny because I treated him more like a musician in the studio than a father. It was definitely more like two musicians helping each other out to get the best performance out of one another. It’s pretty amazing to me when I think about it though. Twenty years ago, he was just a heartbeat, and now he’s recording albums with me, so it’s definitely a trip man. I think for any father it would be a dream come true to do something with your son your both passionate about, whether it’s music, art, or whatever. It’s a special thing and something I’ll remember forever ya know.
MM- Definitely! Now you’ve already mentioned the track, “Ayatollah Of Rock ‘N’ Rolla,” that features Neil Fallon from Clutch in this interview, and I know you’ve been a huge fan of his for years. Is this a collaboration that you’ve wanted to do for years and couldn’t until now, or was this the right time to get it done?
MC- I would say it felt like the right time, right now ya know. We toured with the Clutch guys back in the 90′s with Sepultura, and I’ve been a huge fan of their band ever since. I think that every album they come out with is just awesome, and that’s hard to find nowadays. The last record, “Earth Rocker,” is definitely one of my favorites that they’ve done. So when it came time for me to get the guest appearances together, I really wanted one to be completely different. The last record we had Dez from DevilDriver, and Travis from Cattle Decapitation, so those were going to be brutal no matter what ya know. With this song, I wanted a voice that would really bring a new vibe and sound to the track, and Neil was the perfect choice. His lyrics for the song and his vocal performance is just really awesome, and makes the song really wild and unlike anything you’ve ever heard from Soulfly before. I think it came out better than I expected honestly, but that’s exactly what I wanted.
MM- It’s definitely one of my favorites on the record for sure! Another favorite of mine is “El Comegente,” which you wrote with Tony Campos. The song is about Vargas, a Venezuelan cannibal from the ’80s, and just like “Jeffrey Dahmer” from “Omen,” it focuses on one of the most dangerous and deranged people to ever live. What is the fascination with these types of individuals that keeps you writing about them?
MC- I don’t know if it’s a fascination (laughs). Honestly I think it’s just metal and somewhat writes itself. Like you said, “El Comegente,” is about Vargas and his nickname was “the Hannibal Lecter of the Andes.” When I heard about that, I knew right away that we had to write a song about this guy (laughs). It was almost like he was asking us to write a song about him once I heard his whole story. It’s just insane. A lot of people don’t know either, but this is like a part two of “Plata O Plomo” from “Enslaved.” Everyone really loved that song, and said it was one of our best, so we wanted to do a part two in Portuguese and Spanish, and that’s “El Comegente.” The title literally means people eater, so it fits in well with the “Savages” title as well. Hopefully people dig it as much as they did “Plata O Plomo,” but only time will tell ya know. Personally, I can’t wait to play it live, because it’s one of my favorites to play off the new album.
MM- It will definitely be one of the heaviest moments of the set for sure! As for non-Soulfly material, the news came out last week that the side project with The Dillinger Escape Plan’s Greg Puciato and Mastodon’s Troy Sanders, is really happening. So what is the latest you can say, because I know it’s still really new for all of you.
MC- Yea we are definitely in the studio right now putting everything together. I’m leaving in an hour or so to get back to the studio and finish up the fifth song today. As for the direction of the material, the producer, Josh Wilbur, said it reminds him of the energy of “Chaos A.D.” mixed with Nailbomb, so imagine that if you can(laughs). What’s going to make it special and stand out is that all three voices, Troy, Greg and I, will be on every song. We’ve almost got five songs done as of now, and they are sounding great so far. It’s a pretty exciting project for all of us. We’ve been talking about it for a while, and to finally be doing it is pretty killer. That songs are finally coming alive ya know, and it will definitely be out next year, so get ready for it. The music is pretty intense, I’m not going to lie(laughs).
MM- That is definitely something all fans should be on the lookout for next year! As for this year, you also have your autobiography, “My Blood Roots,” and it’s something your fans have been waiting for a while now. It already has a Brazilian release date, but is there a date where fans in the States can get there hands on it?
MC-Not yet man. They are finishing up the contracts now, and we had some changes, so we aren’t really sure, but I definitely would like to have it out this year. The English version will feature a lot more live photos than the Brazilian release, so that took some extra time looking through all the photos from my career. It’s a really killer biography though, I’m really proud of it. A lot of great people like Josh Wilbur, Tom Araya, David Vincent, and others gave statements and stories about myself and working with me, so it’s a pretty cool thing for myself and fans too.
MM- While looking back through those photos and remembering stories from your career, did you ever step back and say “Holy shit, I’ve done a lot in my career,” because you are living the dream of a lot of fans and have been doing it for years now.
MC- It was very humbling honestly, and a shit load of work too (laughs). We’ve been working on this thing for three years, read through thousands of interviews and a ton of photos, so to finally have it complete is pretty awesome. This book covers it all, from my childhood to now, so I had to remember a lot as well. From being a kid, to picking up my first instrument, to starting
Sepultura, now
Soulfly and
Cavalera Conspiracy, it’s been a massive look in my past, but a really humbling one. The hardest part was remembering all the drunk years (laughs). Puking on Eddie Vedder and all that shit (laughs). I think I got 90% of it right, so I think that’s pretty good. It was really cool to relive some of the moments, and to have it in a book that will be around forever, that’s pretty awesome man.
Honestly, it’s a cool look back on myself though and really well put together in words. I really think there is a strong message of hope in the book, and I hope people get that. If a kid from Brazil can make it in the metal world, anyone can. My life’s story is all about hope and chasing dreams man. I always try and remain positive, no matter what, and it’s got me this far, which is a true blessing. I think that message really comes across in the autobiography really strong, which is something I’m really proud of, because I want people to know anything is possible. I’m living proof man.
MM- Sounds like a great read for any metal fan, so we’ll definitely be on the lookout for that soon. I’ll leave this last part open to you Max. Any final words to the fans out there?
MC- Thank you guys for all your support throughout the years. If it wasn’t for you, that kid from Brazil never would have gotten it this far, so I’m forever grateful. “Savages” is a killer record, and it’ll be out soon, so definitely check that out. We will be hitting the road with Havok in October, so I want to see all you in the pit and fucking shit up like always. Thank you all and see you on the road!
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