Photo by Hannah Verbeuren

There are many in the metal community that would count former Sepultura frontman Max Cavalera as an essential figure in the rise of nu-metal in the nineties. The first few albums from his post-Sep band Soulfly seemed to owe much to the genre. It wasn’t that surprising considering Cavalera makes a habit of embracing younger bands. After a few albums the band adopted a hybrid sound that was more in line with early thrash music. The new Soulfly album Archangel is Cavalera’s most diverse in years and seems to take influence from all parts of his career. With the a nineties pop culture revival now in full swing, I was curious to find out what he thinks about the purists who decried his early Soulfly albums.

But when I sat down with the legend himself before a recent show at Toronto’s Opera House, I found that he’s quick to distance himself from any nu-metal involvement he may have had. He’s still searching for heavier bands. His new album also continues his spiritual take on metal, and I also wanted to know how he’s able to enjoy so many Satanic and blasphemous bands.

Finally we spoke about how he feels when he plays Sepultura songs and why he thinks Cavalera Conspiracy, the band he formed with his brother and fellow ex-Sep member Igor, retains more of the original Sepultura spirit than Sepultura itself.

Soulfly are currently touring in the U.S. and Archangel is available now on Nuclear Blast Records. Watch the video for the title track here.