{"id":4583,"date":"2006-03-30T00:00:36","date_gmt":"2006-03-30T00:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/?p=4583"},"modified":"2013-07-20T12:10:15","modified_gmt":"2013-07-20T12:10:15","slug":"feature-sepultura-03-06","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/feature-sepultura-03-06\/","title":{"rendered":"SEPULTURA – Hell, Purgatory Or Paradise? (March 2006) | Features \/ Interviews @ Metal Forces Magazine"},"content":{"rendered":"

SEPULTURA – Hell, Purgatory Or Paradise?<\/strong><\/span>
\nAnthony Morgan<\/span>
\nMarch 2006<\/span><\/p>\n

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Sepultura (l-r): Andreas Kisser, Igor Cavalera, Derrick Green and Paulo Jr.<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n
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Belo Herizonte, Brazil quartet Sepultura gleam blissful smiles to their appreciative audience of late, ripping through prime cuts as \u2018Roots Bloody Roots\u2019, \u2018Troops Of Doom\u2019, \u2018Against\u2019 and \u2018Convicted In Life\u2019. Cynical media coverage savagely paints a tempestuous image of the band in its dying remnants, though such a discriminatory sketch negates the truthful reality.<\/p>\n

2006 beckons the release of Dante XXI<\/em>, a conceptual album woven around \u2018The Divine Comedy\u2019, a vastly epic poem of Italian literature written in the early 14th century. Three canticles, namely \u2018Hell\u2019, \u2018Purgatory\u2019 and \u2018Paradise\u2019 document a humble man\u2019s spiritual journey towards philosophical wisdom. A warming tale of poignant tragedy and ultimate triumph, it\u2019s a premier staple ambitiously remodelled when the occasion possibly warrants. Hell, purgatory or paradise? Which will the listener encounter? Bassist Paulo Xisto Pinto Junior, dubbed \u2018Destructor\u2019 in the band\u2019s initial outings, has weathered the storm commonly executed by rapacious journalists, notching an impressive 21 years with the resilient outfit. With the notable exception of drummer Igor Cavalera (currently taking a deserved break), he is the only founding member still currently flexing his musical creativity within the band. Dante XXI<\/em> gave a viable window for intimate discussion.<\/p>\n

You have just released Dante XXI<\/em>, an album influenced by the famous Florentine poet. How did it come to fruition and why you were specifically inspired by that particular poem? \u201cWell, basically I was looking to have a theme. It really helped us to find a nice direction to recreate music and lyrical wise, otherwise it was going to be too spread out \u2013 know what I mean? The idea, I think, was Derrick\u2019s (Green, vocals). I think he had already read the book while he was a kid a long time ago. He came in with the idea, because in the beginning we started to jam but it was a little bit lost. But when he came up with the idea to do a soundtrack, a new day soundtrack, for the book, it really helped a lot to find a direction. It actually made it easy, because they have three steps on the book \u2013 \u2018Hell\u2019, the \u2018Purgatory\u2019 and the \u2018Paradise\u2019 \u2013 so you can really have a Brazilian’s ideas on those three topics itself.\u201d <\/p>\n

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Paulo Jr.<\/em><\/b><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n
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How do you feel Dante\u2019s philosophical viewpoints translate to the 21st century, in respect of the fact that it\u2019s called Dante XXI<\/em>? \u201cRight, well basically it\u2019s a lot of ideas, like I said. You can read the book in so many different aspects. It comes in poetry and it\u2019s very complicated; I read it like, about two times, and I\u2019m reading it again, because every time that you read it something new comes out. The way I put it is like a bunch of ideas we have that we can see, but if you read it you\u2019re probably going to find different things. It\u2019s the way you feel at the time \u2013 if you read it again you\u2019re probably going to bring new ideas and a new musical sense for it actually. It\u2019s very complex, but sitting down it\u2019s very open. It\u2019s like when you\u2019re reading a book before you see the movie for example \u2013 the book is always better than the movie because you have your own idea of the book. You can go farther and farther you know, and you can go in so many directions with that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The actual poem seems to be an account of man\u2019s journey towards spiritual wisdom. During the recording were there moments when you felt like you learnt something new philosophically? \u201cYeah, definitely. It always helps to open the mind to really express. This book is so open for so many things. You know, it\u2019s like the music to it. Sometimes when you\u2019re a writer you start to jam until you really build some things.\u201d<\/p>\n

Was it anything particular? \u201cI don\u2019t know, it\u2019s very hard to say. It\u2019s like when you\u2019re writing something \u2013 a lot of times you don\u2019t even know how to really start a song. You just start to play something, and then the others will follow. You show it to the others and from there it\u2019s very open. It\u2019s very hard to explain how it all works, because sometimes it can be very frustrating. You go and stay hours in the studio and nothing comes out, but then the next day you come in for five or ten minutes and you create shitloads of music. It\u2019s something that I really cannot explain.\u201d<\/p>\n

How do you think this latest album compares to earlier releases from the 80s like Bestial Devastation<\/em>, Morbid Visions<\/em> and other earlier stuff? \u201cIt\u2019s very hard to compare, but there\u2019s a big contrast because each album is expressing what you are feeling at that moment? Every single record that I\u2019ve done there\u2019s a difference on it because of that. When we began writing this record we were 21 years as a band and when we wrote Bestial Devastation<\/em> we were only two years as a band, so there\u2019s a big difference. You\u2019ve passed through a lot of different experiences \u2013 so many records, so much studio experience, working with different people, seeing a lot of different cultures, so that all means you get more experience through the years. It\u2019s very hard to not copy yourself in every record that you try and still keep the sense of the band. Musically it\u2019s still there, but I always try to bring something different and new.\u201d<\/p>\n

Which specific track affects you on the album personally? \u201cI don\u2019t know man? Right now I think I like \u2018False\u2019, because that\u2019s a song we\u2019ve been playing live and for me is the most powerful so far. It\u2019s very hard to pick one song, because I like them all. For me it\u2019s like if you\u2019re a father and you\u2019re asked to pick a favourite son \u2013 it\u2019s very hard! I think the whole conception fits together; each song is a piece of the whole thing. But \u2018False\u2019 is the one I feel most comfortable with. It\u2019ll probably change in a couple of shows. Right now it\u2019s not our headline tour, so when we come to do the full set it\u2019ll probably change because we\u2019re going to have the chance to play more songs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Has this album, dealing with Dante, changed the way you view your relationship with God or not? Has it given you a fresh perspective? \u201cProbably. It\u2019ll give you some different views and some perspective, definitely. I think everyone has a way to see God differently. It really did help to open up the mind in different ways because you read something and then you have a different view. It makes you think more about different stuff… so that is good.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Igor Cavalera<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n
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Have any songs taken shape for the next album? Is there any plans at the moment? \u201cNo, this album has only just come out and we\u2019ve just started touring.\u201d<\/p>\n

Do you write while on tour? \u201cVery rarely. Most of the stuff is done at home.\u201d<\/p>\n

So there are no ideas for the next album then? \u201cNah, this record is so fresh, so there\u2019s nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Is there any direction you\u2019d like the next album to go in at the moment? \u201cNah, haven\u2019t even thought about that. But we all have portable studios at home, so every time there\u2019s an idea I\u2019m sure everyone sits down and records some stuff. You never know when you\u2019re going to use them? There\u2019s stuff that\u2019s been sitting there for years. Someday it may come out, but some we will never use.\u201d<\/p>\n

I know Igor is staying home right now because he had a new-born son in January, but I\u2019m wondering if he is hoping to reunite with the band on tour soon? \u201cThat\u2019s going to be up to him. He just got divorced and got a son with a different girlfriend, so he\u2019s putting his life back together at the moment. It was the best for the band for him not to come this time so that he can sort out his stuff. It wouldn\u2019t be good if just his body was here and not the whole spiritual part really committed to be on tour.\u201d<\/p>\n

Certain parts of the press were saying that Igor had actually left the band. \u201cYeah.\u201d<\/p>\n

I read that the band were really annoyed about that. Do you feel that the press have pursued a negative campaign against the Sepultura in recent years? \u201cThe press always need this kind of gossip to attract readers. They have to start to come up with things to really sell, so sometimes things become like a soap opera. The things I\u2019ve read, it\u2019s like, \u2018What? Well, I\u2019ve not heard that and I\u2019m the bass player of the band! Great, that\u2019s good to know… now I know what\u2019s going on!\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

Everyone still goes on about Max (Cavalera; Soulfly and former Sepultura frontman) all the time. Since the first album with Derrick in 1998 (Against<\/em>), do you think the newer records are unfairly dismissed before people even actually listen to them in the first place? \u201cWell, maybe sometimes. I knew that it would be a long journey until we get here. With a new singer, like I said, the press and everybody is gossiping around. They don\u2019t even know. A lot of people still, up to this day, before they\u2019re even picking up a record, they\u2019re already talking shit about it. They haven\u2019t listened to it, so they can\u2019t give a real opinion \u2013 they let the other people put the opinions in their head. But that doesn\u2019t really bother us, that\u2019s why we\u2019re still here after 21 years as a band.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Andreas Kisser<\/em><\/b><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n
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What do you view as your favourite Sepultura album? \u201cI always like the last album, you know, because it\u2019s the most fresh one. It\u2019s the one that is bringing us back on tour. Live we have the chance to play all the material, so I always like the last one.\u201d<\/p>\n

Which one is the one you least like? \u201cI don\u2019t know? I think I like them all equally. It\u2019s very hard… I\u2019d never pick one.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Sepultura tracks there\u2019s a lot of inspiration and sounds from Brazil. What do you think these certain sounds add to a song? \u201cWell, it definitely adds a different flavour. The way that we play, that helps us really get into a strong style. Just the fact to be Brazilian \u2013 it is really different from any European, British or American band. Brazil is a very big mix, like cultured country, and we grew up listening to a lot of Brazilian music, besides the rock that\u2019s already been there for years and is a worldwide thing. We still got the swing, the rhythms \u2013 I think really that helped to make us different than the others.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2002 you did a covers album (Revolusongs<\/em>). You did bands as diverse as U2 and Exodus; was it a conscious decision to go in that direction? \u201cYeah, it was very conscious. You know, we just left the old label (Roadrunner Records). We wanted to do an exploratory record to start to work with new people. It was a good experience to work with Steve Evetts as well to prepare for the upcoming stuff. We sat down and did a list of a 100 songs that we liked, or even more. We even asked help from a couple of close friends, people that knew that we wanted to do something different. It would be very obvious to re-do another Black Sabbath<\/a> song, but we didn\u2019t want to do that. All the bands that are on Revolusongs have influenced Sepultura in some way. You didn\u2019t see the list, but there was so much weird stuff! It was crazy; we had The Police, we had King Crimson, we had Kraftwerk, there were Brazilian bands… a whole bunch of stuff.”<\/p>\n

How do you feel the fans took that? \u201cI don\u2019t know… I think most of them liked it. But it\u2019s very hard to please everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some metal fans are really picky, aren\u2019t they? \u201cOh aye. But too bad. We\u2019re not going to change because of them. First, we have to be pleased with what we\u2019re doing at that moment, and then the rest is a consequence. I\u2019m not doing anything because a fan wants it. Of course it\u2019s good to hear the feedback and the opinions but at the end of the day it\u2019s our call \u2013 we have to be pleased before anybody else.”<\/p>\n

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Derrick Green<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n
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How does a typical Sepultura song develop from a rough cut to the finished material? \u201cThe way that we do it is we just start playing at rehearsals and if anybody has an idea we do it all together. Most of the time we have the idea for the melody. We don\u2019t even usually have the lyrics so we just put nicknames on the songs and then we start through the process. For Dante, for example, we didn\u2019t have a bunch of the titles while we were recording in the studio. We just had nicknames like Hell 1, Hell 2, Hell 3, and Paradise, and Purgatory 1, ta da da. We never know the final result until everything is laid 100% in recording.\u201d<\/p>\n

How is the live chemistry with your touring drummer Roy Mayorga (boasting Soulfly, Crisis and Thorn)? Is it different to Igor in any way? \u201cYeah it\u2019s different, but it\u2019s a good vibe.\u201d<\/p>\n

In which way would you say it\u2019s different? \u201cRoy is a different drummer, a different person and has a different way of playing, but at the same time he really embraced the music. He really likes it. You\u2019re going to see it tonight (March 30th, 2006) and it sounds really good. We wouldn\u2019t have come out with a drummer where it wouldn\u2019t work out for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

What\u2019s your most memorable time on tour… if you had to single one out? \u201cJesus! 1994 when Brazil won the World Cup in LA. Everybody was drunk on stage. I remember walking as Lemmy (Mot\u00f6rhead frontman) on Stockholm \u2013 Lemmy, Phil and Mikkey Dee, I did them all!\u201d<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the band\u2019s plans for the future? \u201cRight now we\u2019re going to go and tour for this record as much as we can and then start thinking about the next album when this is done.\u201d<\/p>\n

Interview originally conducted in March 2006. All photographs by J\u00f6rg Kyas.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

SEPULTURA – Hell, Purgatory Or Paradise? Anthony Morgan March 2006 Sepultura (l-r): Andreas Kisser, Igor Cavalera, Derrick Green and Paulo Jr. Belo Herizonte, Brazil quartet Sepultura gleam blissful smiles to their appreciative audience of late, ripping through prime cuts as \u2018Roots Bloody Roots\u2019, \u2018Troops Of Doom\u2019, \u2018Against\u2019 and \u2018Convicted In Life\u2019. Cynical media coverage savagely […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,252],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4583","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-features","category-sepultura"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4583","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4583"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4583\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13150,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4583\/revisions\/13150"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4583"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4583"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4583"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}