Max Cavalera on Touring, Soulfly, Drop D, 4-Strings & Re-Recording Old Sepultura Albums.
Laughing Monkey with Shawn RatchesShow Notes
Max Cavalera is one of metal’s most influential figures, first rising to prominence as the co-founder, vocalist, and rhythm guitarist of Sepultura. Emerging from Brazil in the 1980s, Sepultura helped reshape extreme metal with landmark albums like Beneath the Remains, Arise, Chaos A.D., and Roots, blending thrash, groove, punk, and tribal influences into a sound that reached far beyond the underground. Cavalera’s fierce delivery, percussive guitar style, and instinct for reinvention made him a defining voice in heavy music. After leaving Sepultura in the mid-1990s, Cavalera launched Soulfly, a band that gave him room to push even further into groove, nu metal, hardcore, and world-music textures. Over the years, Soulfly has become a long-running creative outlet and touring force, with Max continuously evolving the lineup and sound while staying rooted in aggression, rhythm, and identity. His career has also included projects like Nailbomb, Cavalera Conspiracy, Killer Be Killed, and Go Ahead and Die, reinforcing his reputation as an artist who never stops moving. In this interview, Cavalera reflects on life on the road, the enduring mission of Soulfly, and the gear and tuning choices that helped shape his signature heaviness — from Drop D riffing to the raw power of 4-string guitars. He also opens up about the idea of revisiting older material, including the growing conversation around re-recording classic Sepultura-era albums. The result is a wide-ranging discussion with one of metal’s true lifers: honest, loud, and deeply connected to the music that built his legacy.
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