by Christophe Pauly
– Senior Photojournlaist —
Brothers Max and Igor Cavalera latest project Cavalera Conspiracy released their recent studio album, Pandemonium, on Halloween. Max Cavalera talked with Hardrock Haven’s Christophe Pauly and discussed reuniting musically with his brother, the writing of the new album, the album cover art and more …
Hardrock Haven: Thanks for this interview! This is the third album, Pandemonium, you have done with your brother. How did your relationship evolve through the years now that you play music together again?
Max Cavalera: Oh it’s been great! We did this album and just finished the south American tour. I think that our relationship is better than ever now. We’ve learned from the past and we now enjoy our brotherhood and playing music together. And we’re really proud of this album. Pandemonium was a blast to make and I think we’ll be very excited to play It live.
Hardrock Haven: How did you compose this album?
Max Cavalera: The riffs were done home with a 4-tracks recorder and a drum machine. And so most of the time I have some riffs and it turns into songs when we’re in the studio. It’s a good process. It works very well and allows me to concentrate on the best riffs for the album. Then in the studio, choosing the best riffs makes you doing the best songs.
Hardrock Haven: Your style evolved through the years. Do you feel more comfortable to compose with your brother today than when you were in Sepultura?
Max Cavalera: I think it’s always a challenge to make a good record and to bring something new. But Igor and me have played for so many years that we know each other very well. We know what the other likes most. We can nearly play by instinct. I know what kind of riffs that he likes.
But that doesn’t always makes the things easier. Making an album is challenging and stressful sometimes because of the demand of the fans. You have all those old Sepultura fans and so We took the challenge and I think it’s good to give you some motivation to Make a good record.
Hardrock Haven: Why didn’t you simply asked your brother to join Soulfly instead of making a different band?
Max Cavalera: You know, Soulfly has its own way and I don’t think that Igor would like It because we tour a lot . And I think that the work that I do with Igor is very unique. I think it’s cool to have different projects. I prefer to keep Soulfly as my main band. I think those project keep me active and excited about music. For me, what keeps me motivated is doing all those projects
Hardrock Haven: You always had some political views in your lyrics. What do you think about the today’s world?
Max Cavalera: I think that the World in general is getting worse. But sometimes music from those times is better. Punk music came when England had a Great Depression. And many great music styles came from that period. You can say the same about metal. The trash metal came from punk too and had some political lyrics. And I think it’s good to talk about this kind of stuffs. Pandemonium reflects the situation in the world with all those problems in Middle-East, Ukraine, Ebola, etc. … The world is becoming apocalyptic and it’s like the end of days (laughs).
Hardrock Haven: I was very surprised by the artwork of your new album. Could you talk about the artist who did it?
Max Cavalera: Yes, it’s a friend of Igor’s, Stefan Doitschnoff. He’s a great artist who was used to do graffiti, and then became more and more famous, so people asked him to paint their house. So we asked him to do a cover art with the name of the album. And I think the design reflects the music. It’s beautiful but desperate at the same time. The colors are beautiful but there’s a feeling of brutality and desperation in the design.
Hardrock Haven: This albums sounds pretty unique.
Max Cavalera: Yeah, I’ve asked to Igor to play fast all long and I wanted it to be the most metal and brutal album we’ve ever done. And I think that we’ve achieved that vision.
Visit the band online: https://www.facebook.com/cavaleraconspiracy
