Cavalera Conspiracy – Max Cavalera

Cavalera Conspiracy were originally set to play in Australia back in 2008 with Judas Priest, yet due to complications, Cavalera Conspiracy were sadly denied the support of the metal gods at the 11th hour. After waiting nearly 4 years the time has finally come for Australia to get their first taste of Cavalera Conspiracy at the prestigious Big Day Out festival across Australia next year. This will also mark the 20th anniversary of Big Day Out.

Metal Obsession had the honour of speaking to frontman, Max Cavalera once again to discuss Cavalera Conspiracy‘s first upcoming tour of Australia, his future plans in music and all things politics.

Metal Obsession: What are your expectations of the upcoming Big Day Out, as this will be Cavalera Conspriacy’s first time in Australia?

Max Cavalera: It’s very exciting for all of us. We’re going to try and come up with a great show which will have a very special setlist. I’m sure it will surprise a lot of people. You know, me and Iggor haven’t played in Australia since 1994, so its definitely been a long time for the people who waited for us to come back. As you said before, this will be our first time in Australia as Cavalera Conspiracy which is another great thing and I really think its going to be great. I’m really excited and very honoured to be apart of it.

This tour will actually be the tour that closes the circle of the current Cavalera tour. We’re going to be done after that and then I’ll be working on the third Cavalera album and then hopefully do another tour after that. For this album and for this tour. This will be the last stop. So we’re going to end the tour in Australia with Big Day Out and what a great way to finish a tour.

MO: You seem to tour Australia quite extensively these days. Do you ever get the sense of a spiritual or personal connection with the country?

MC: Yeah! I love playing in Australia. I love the fans. I seem to have a great fan base down there. Even all the way back to the Sepultura days. As well as Soulfly since 1998. I did the Big Day Out back then with Soulfly which was a great experience. I’ve come back with Soulfly many other times with band’s like Hatebreed, Megadeth, and City of Fire and Incite as well. I’ve been there many times and its always been great.

The fans are amazing. I’ve always feel a connection with Australia, even right back to when I was in Sepultura. It’s always been a special place for me because so many people love heavy metal down there. The people are always mellow and laid back and the shows are always sold out every time we do a tour. I think its great.

When I heard we would be doing Big Day Out, I was so excited. I called Iggor right away after I heard we would be touring Australia and now he’s really excited to be coming back as well. We’re getting prepared. It’s going to be a great tour.

MO: A lot of people have debated that Big Day Out is losing interest in heavy metal. It seems that Cavalera Conspiracy is the only “heavy metal” band on the festival. Does this worry you at all in terms of getting a steady audience to see you you play?

MC: Are you saying we are the only band representing metal on the festival?

MO: Well, there is also Parkway Drive and Amity Affliction. However, your essentially the only band representing the grunt of heavy metal (at the moment).

MC: To me, that’s actually a privilege. We always try to make our shows as great and enjoyable as possible for everyone. So whoever is there, if they’ve never heard of Cavalera before they may actually get into us after listening to us. It’s a bit like transforming people. You know, making people believer’s after they have seen it.

I think that’s one great way of getting new fans. One thing I always hear is that someone who never liked metal before listened to Sepultura and liked metal soon after. It’s the same with Soulfly as well. A lot of people who say they don’t like metal have seen us before and then love metal after hearing or seeing Soulfly. So there is that conversion. You change how people believe and encourage them to like something which they probably hated before. To me, that’s very exciting. I feel very proud to do that.

In a band like Soulfly or Cavalera Conspiracy we seem to do a lot of festivals. Some festivals are mainly just metal, but there are places in Europe which are completely different. We play in places like Norway and Scandinavia where music is more combined with different bands like Gnarls Barkley and P!nk. Even in Japan we did a festival with Beyoncé and Jay-Z. [laughs] It’s like completely not our scene, but we did great. We just try to do the best show we can for ourselves and the people who come see us. We just try and do the best we can.

Editors notes – Cavalera Conspiracy will also be doing sideshows to coincide with the Big Day Out festival next year. Details are as follows…

Tuesday January 24 – Panthers, Newcastle – 18
Tickets available from www.oztix.com.au and www.moshtix.com.au

Friday January 27 – ANU Bar, Canberra – 18
Tickets available from www.ticketek.com.au 132 849

Saturday January 28 – Metro Theatre, Sydney – 18
Tickets available from www.ticketek.com.au 132 849

Wednesday February 1 – Billboard, Melbourne – 18
Tickets available from www.ticketek.com.au 132 849 and www.moshtix.com.au

Monday February 6 – The Hi Fi, Brisbane – 18
Tickets available from www.thehifi.com.au 1300-THEHIFI (8434434) and all usual outlet

MO: You mentioned before about releasing more albums in the near future. This may come off as a little morbid to some people, but is it safe to say that as long as there is war, hatred and suffering consuming the planet. You’ll continue to write music and release albums?

MC: Yeah! [laughs] You could say that. Some of the inspiration for our lyrics do come from that. But you know, I think there are different things in everything I do. Soulfly is on a whole different level with regards to spiritually and Cavalera is just mainly metal, you know. It’s more straight forward and in your face. We try to stay as heavy as possible, or aggressive as possible. Me and Iggor just want to play this kind of metal because we grew up together liking this kind of music.

It’s more thrashy and requires lyrics about war. Song like ‘Warlord’,  ‘Genghis Khan’ and ‘Rasputin’. You know, that kind of brutal, masculine kind of lyrics. But you could say that as long as there is war and stuff is going on around the world, I will continue to make music. I love what I do and love making records. I’ve done it for so long that I don’t want to stop. I always try to push myself to make a better album. I actually just finished my new Soulfly record, ‘Enslaved’ which will come out in March and I’m very excited about it. A lot of the people who have heard it, really dig it, and think its some of the best stuff I’ve done since the first Soulfly record. So, you know. I’m always looking towards the future.

MO: During the Sepultura years, or even more recently with Soulfly and Cavalera Conspiracy. Have you ever been questioned by either military, political or even religious powers for what you express in your music?

MC: No. Well, I think some people sometimes get confused about what we are all about. Take Soulfly for example, some people think its a Christian band because it has a lot of spiritual things going on, but I have never said it was a Christian band nor do I want too. I never wanted to turn Soulfly into a Christian band because that’s not what I’m here for.

I respect all religions and people’s different opinions. My fans are from all different backgrounds and all different religions. I don’t expect them to become anything else. I respect who they are. There was a bit of confusion with that, but that was so many years ago. Now everyone knows what I do and, you know. They like seeing me make new records and touring in their part of the world and I’m cool with that, so everything is good now.

MO: Having grown up in South America surrounded by a military dictatorship. I guess you could relate to what’s going on in Egypt and pretty much the rest of the middle east and certain parts of the world at the moment. Did you personally experience anything that bad while growing up in South America after seeing some of the footage portrayed in the media of the middle east?

MC: Yeah its a little bit different. When I grew up in Brazil it was a dictatorship. We were ruled by the military and a lot of people, and even musicians were exiled outside of the country because they weren’t allow to express themselves in the country, because the dictatorship didn’t allow them. They were exiled so they could continue making music, but I was very little at the time and didn’t really care much for music at that time. But when I started to make music for myself, Brazil had switched again and had become a democracy. Similar to America where we could vote for a president. The dictatorship was gone and we started to go deep into the roots of democracy and having a “regular” president elected by the people.

The stuff that has been happening in Egypt is a little bit more hardcore. Like taking the fight to the streets. I think that’s very inspiring. I think everyone on this planet should look at that and get inspired or encourage by that if they want to see a change. Some of that has even happened in America with the occupation of Wall Street and the occupation around the cities. Confronting the police and expressing how they feel is very cool, I think. I feel proud that people are doing that instead of letting certain establishments crush you and obey what they tell you to do and pretty much just conform. People are questioning it and making a stand. I think its good that people are doing that. I even think that my music is great background music to this kind of revolution. Some of the stuff I play, it feels like rioting music, so its perfect for riots. [laughs]

When I see these people fighting for something better, I always think of songs like ‘Refuse/Resist’ or ‘Warlord’. I guess my music is especially made for situations such as this. Perhaps the people who go to these protests may listen to more of my music. [laughs]

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zn8ndJOIEsI]

MO: Will have to give some of these people some Soulfly, Sepultura or Cavalera to blast in the streets.[laughs]

MC: Right! Get a boom box out. [laughs]

MO: You were once quoted saying leaving Sepultura “was the worst decision you had to make in your life”. However, after the success of band’s like Soulfly, Nailbomb, Cavalera Conspiracy and all the other projects you’ve worked on since then. Do you still feel any regret leaving the band?

MC: To me it was actually a good thing, you know. I’ve been able to make some great music and I probably wouldn’t have been able to do that while in Sepultura, especially the Soulfly stuff. It was kind of a liberation for me and I feel as though I’ve been able to do all that stuff. You also have Cavalera Conspiracy where I’ve been able to play alongside my brother again which is another great things for me.

When I look at it now I don’t think it was a mistake to leave Sepultura. I see it as something that happened and life goes on. You can never give up, you just have to keep going. Get up and carry on. To me it was a great learning experience.

Cavalera Conspiracy‘s, ‘Blood Force Trauma’ is out now via Roadrunner Records.

Make sure to catch Cavalera Conspiracy at the Big Day Out festival across Australia next year. Tickets are still available via respected ticketing outlets. For more information on the Big Day Out, head on over to the official website. www.bigdayout.com

BIG DAY OUT – AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND 2012

FRIDAY, 20 JANUARY, 2012 – AUCKLAND MT SMART STADIUM

Tickets $160 (incl GST) + bf*. Strict limit of 4 tickets per customer. Available from our website www.bigdayout.com , Ticketmaster www.ticketmaster.co.nz , phone bookings (09) 970 9700 plus all Ticketmaster outlets and Real Groovy (Auckland).

SUNDAY, 22 JANUARY, 2012 – GOLD COAST PARKLANDS

Tickets $165 (incl GST) + bf*. Strict limit of 4 tickets per customer. Available from our website www.bigdayout.com , Ticketmaster (website only) www.ticketmaster.com.au , plus Rockinghorse (Brisbane), Sunflower Pacific Fair (Broadbeach) and Kill The Music (Brisbane)

THURSDAY, 26 JANUARY, 2012 – SYDNEY SHOWGROUND

Tickets $165 (incl GST) + bf*. Strict limit of 4 tickets per customer. Available from our website www.bigdayout.com and Ticketmaster (website only) www.ticketmaster.com.au

SUNDAY, 29 JANUARY, 2012 – MELBOURNE FLEMINGTON RACECOURSE

Tickets $165 (incl GST) + bf*. Strict limit of 4 tickets per customer. Available from our website www.bigdayout.com and Ticketmaster (website only) www.ticketmaster.com.au

FRIDAY, 3 FEBRUARY, 2012 – ADELAIDE SHOWGROUND

Tickets $165 (incl GST) + bf*. Strict limit of 4 tickets per customer. Available from our website www.bigdayout.com, Ticketmaster (website only) www.ticketmaster.com.au , and Krypton Discs (Glenelg), Live Clothing (City and Marion), Mr V Music (City and Semaphore), Bridgeway Hotel and Colonnades Tavern

SUNDAY, 5 FEBRUARY, 2012 – PERTH CLAREMONT SHOWGROUND

Tickets $165 (incl GST) + bf* + Perth Department of Transport Levy. Strict limit of 4 tickets per customer. Available from our website www.bigdayout.com ,Ticketmaster (website only) www.ticketmaster.com.au , and 78 Records (Perth), Bassendean Newsagency, Bayswater Liquor Barons, Blue 62 (Busselton), Collins Music (Bunbury), Geraldton CD Centre, Goldfields Arts Centre (Kalgoorlie), Live Clothing (all stores), Mills Records (Fremantle), Planet Video (Mt Lawley) and Vibes (Albany)