By James Wright

Bands come and go in the genre of heavy music, within months, but it is the true artists that will stick around year after year and continue to release great material. This is exactly what Max Cavalera has done year after year since his early days in Sepultura, and that is why he will be making music for years to come. September 26th marks the release of Max's latest opus "Primitive" which will definitely be on the top of everyone's best of 2000 lists come year end. I had the great pleasure of talking to the man himself about his latest creation and why we don't have to worry about Max hanging up his guitar anytime soon.

Shoutweb: I must say the album is amazing and it's already topped my list for the best albums of 2000!

Max: Thank you. It's very nice of you to say that.

Shoutweb: The album features a much different line-up than your Self-titled debut that was released a few years back. With that album the writing process was mostly comprised of yourself with a little help here and there. How much input did Marcello or any of the other guys have in the creation of "Primitive"?

Max: With this album it was more like a "real" band as opposed to the first one. We had a small steady line-up with me, Joe, Marcello and Mikey being together for quite a while and knew each other musically much better than last time. I think when you listen to the record you don't have the idea that it's a project but more so that it's a band just like any other band that's out there. We had some problems with line-ups in the past but this album proves Soulfly is a band.

Shoutweb: Was the writing process easier on this record than with the first record when you had the split and the loss of Dana?

Max: Writing this record was still hard in getting the ideas ready and stuff but it was worthwhile because when I listen to the album it has so much from one song to the other. The work Toby Wright did for the record also had a big influence on the way this record sounds. I think it was worthwhile to have an album that has a lot more for people to dig into than just one time listening.

Shoutweb: Can you please fill us all in on the title track/title of the record and what it means?

Max: "Primitive" to me signifies a raw and in your face type of attitude, and that's what the album is, just kind of in your face! You can't turn your head! You cannot ignore this record ya know? That's why we called it "Primitive" because it's raw and in your face.

Shoutweb: There are some pretty strange guests on the album. The strangest must be Sean Lennon on "Son Song"... How does a metal genius like yourself hook up with someone like Sean Lennon!?

Max: We met together in Australia at the "Big Day Out" Festival and there were similarities between us that neither of us really knew. Both of us enjoy Japanese hardcore and we both like Brazilian music. He is a huge fan of what I do so because of that we ended up working together. I ended coming up with the idea of doing something with Sean that was very much "off the wall" and surprise everybody! We did exactly that too! When people hear those two names together they go "WHAT!?" (Laughs)

Shoutweb: The song totally took me by surprise too because it's heavy! Sean's voice kind of adds the errie atmospheric feel to it though...

Max: Yeah I think it does! I don't know if you or other people are familiar with his work but he has some really cool stuff on his record as well! That's why when I decided to work with him it wasn't just about being Sean Lennon but it was about the way he sounds and makes music which I think is very interesting.

Shoutweb: The other song that I felt was a strange pairing but came out amazing was "In Memory Of..." which features a local Arizona Hip-hop group. I think that is one of the best tracks on the album, clearly an album stand-out.

Max: Yeah it is! The idea came to do a so called rap/metal song but do it in our own way which is much different than what you hear out there today. It's meant to be very underground, very unorthodox, all the sounds you hear on that song are very strange and dark so it's kinda like a darker type of hip-hop metal so to speak. It's very much different from what you hear on a Limp Bizkit or a Korn record. The song is like a completely different world but comes from the same kind of idea actually.

Shoutweb: I also have to ask about the female vocals on "Fly High"... She has an amazing voice and it adds another dimension to the song.

Max: That song actually came out of frustration! (Laughs) We couldn't find nothing with that song that was working and I was ready to throw the song off the record! The last thing before I threw it off was one of the guys from Cutthroat Logic said "My sister sings in a gospel choir. Maybe you should get her to come down and sing for you on that! You might like it. You never know!" She came into the studio to sing and she just blew everybody away! It was just so different from everything else that we ended up keeping it and we ended up closing the album with that type of atmosphere which was a little bit more positive than what I had done in the past.

Shoutweb: Why did you decide to do "Soulfly Part II" on the record?

Max: That is just a natural trademark of Soulfly and we're gonna keep doing that on every album. The idea actually comes from old metal albums like in the day of Iron Maiden where they used to have instrumentals on the record and I always thought that was cool. It was kinda like something fresh that comes into the record that is totally different than the rest and using unorthodox instruments. It's just kind of like a continuation of what we did on the first record but going a little bit deeper this time within the instruments that we used on the song.

Shoutweb: It's a very emotionally heavy song without the use of vocals to carry the emotion.

Max: Yeah! It was one in completely a jam type of atmosphere and created between the four of us, the percussionist Larry Mac Donald and Toby Wright in the end added piano and clarinet. Everyone had a little bit of input into the creation of that song which made that song special I think.

Shoutweb: Do you have a favourite track on the album so far?

Max: I like "Pain". We played "Pain" on the Ozzfest and it was just sick! The whole place just went insane! It was nuts! (Laughs) That song has like a real metal/hardcore vibe like that of some of the Victory Records bands.

Max: Yeah and someone told me that the part in the middle reminded them of Neurosis which is a band that I really like so I was really happy! When I wrote it I never even thought of it like that cause I was just trying to write a kind of "Doom" breakdown in the middle and it ended up being like that. Right now that is my favourite track but I keep changing my mind as I listen to the record. I always like one song better than the others then I change my mind so I guess I don't really have one although I like "Pain" but I may change my mind tomorrow. (Laughs)

Shoutweb: A lot of people are really tripping out over "Jumpdafuckup" with Corey from Slipknot...

Max: With that song it's like the circle of influence has come full circle because I influenced Slipknot with Sepultura. Corey told me that if it wasn't for "Roots" there wouldn't be a Slipknot. The circle has now come full circle now that I worked with Corey and it's one influencing the other 360 degrees. It was just fun to work with those guys man! Corey in the studio was just fucking insane man! He was fucking jumping and screaming and shit! It was just really cool to work with him cause he is a very "off the wall" musician. He came in, and in four hours we just fucked shit up! We did that song in four hours! When I looked at Toby Wright he was just like "Holy shit man! A fuckin tornado just came by the studio!" (laughs) It was just that kind of atmosphere. The day we recorded the song, I went to the show Slipknot played in Phoenix and was blown away! I thought to myself "This is one of the coolest bands I've seen in a long time!" The heavy sound they have feels really natural and that's what I like about music. It's powerful, fucking full of guts and they fuck shit up just the way I like it. They are one of my favourite bands I think.

Shoutweb: When they played here they fucked shit up too! They lit the stage on fire and you could literally see security guards waving for them to stop!

Max: Awesome! (Laughs) I hope we have the chance to hook up and tour with them! Everybody is saying that when we do "Jumpdafuckup" live that it's gonna be insane and I agree! (Laughs) it would be brutal! Broken bones everywhere! (Laughs)

Shoutweb: A lot of people are wondering why you choose to jump ships from Tattoo The Earth to the Ozzfest?

Max: The decision was made because of their booking agent and the fact that we didn't see any dates and we needed to confirm between that and Ozzfest. Ozzfest we saw the dates and everything looked set so unfortunately we had to make a commitment. I told the guys in Slipknot that the decision was nothing personal but just completely professional and we just need to do what is best for us. Ozzfest covered more ground than Tattoo The Earth and it was just a matter of that. We are looking forward to the opportunity to tour with Slipknot though in the future.

Shoutweb: Now you have some totally devoted fans out there! I know when we went to see you during your first Soulfly tour I met a fan who worked in a wielding shop and had actually made a huge metal Soulfly logo, and I also have a friend who has the Soulfly logo tattooed on his calf. I'm wondering what's the most die hard thing a fan has ever done for you guys?

Max: I think the tattoo is the strongest form of admiration because I know how much it hurts and it has to be something that you really really believe in. You just don't get any kind of tattoo, 'cause it's permanent! Tattoo's represent everything about you and what makes you as a person. Everytime I see a Soulfly tattoo it just freaks me out! It's like that is what drives me to create music and go through the thick and thin to beat all the odds that have been thrown in front of me to make Soulfly successful. When I see those tattoo's it's like a reason for me to create music cause I have these devoted fans who are so great!

Shoutweb: What has the reaction to Soulfly been for you back home in Brazil? Are the fans totally different than in the US?

Max: It's pretty much the same cause metal fans kinda stick together. Metal fans are kind of like the "outcasts" or that's how we feel and that's why we gather in tribes to go to concerts like Ozzfest! When I played Brazil in April it was at a festival with like 10,000 people and it was the same. A lot of people were into what we were doing and we played some material from "Primitive" for the first time and it was amazing! I was very happy to see the reaction in Brazil being as powerful as in the US.

Shoutweb: You recently recorded the track "Catch the Spirit" for the Strait Up Tribute. What was that like? The song turned out incredibly heavy and pissed off sounding!

Max: Well Mikey approached me with the idea of the album and I told him I'd love to do it because I loved Lynn. Mikey came to Phoenix and he had the music ready, he did it with the guys in Snot, so I just had to write lyrics and go in and scream the fuck out of my lungs! I'm very happy with the way it came out!

Shoutweb: Do you have a favourite memory of Lynn that you can remember?

Max: I think doing the Beastie Boys cover "Time For Living" was an awesome moment every night on the tour we did together. That is probably my favourite memory of Lynn.

Shoutweb: With all the albums you've released and providing years and years of great music for fans, do you think there is ever going to be a time for you to hang up the old guitar?

Max: HELL NO MAN! (Laughs) I'm just gonna keep going 'cause I love music and the reaction from the fans to the music. Actually I just get more excited all the time and with this album I'm feeling alot of energy surrounding the record and I'm just really excited!

Shoutweb: What have you got planned for Soulfly in the near future?

Max: We're touring the States starting this Sunday with Downset and then we go to Europe after that, but with who I don't know yet. When we come back next year we'll do another round of the States and Canada too. We're just gonna keep touring that's the plan for the band right now.

Shoutweb: Anything you would like to get across to fans out there?

Max: Just thanks a lot man 'cause they fuckin rule! They are the ones who have stood behind me and I'm looking forward to coming at them with "Primitive".

Shoutweb: Well thank you Max. This has been a great honor for me and pleasure as I've been a big fan of your for so long.

Max: Thank you.