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SEPULTURA guitarist Andreas Kisser was interviewed on the November 6, 2009 edition of the "Uncensored Net Noise". The program can now be streamed with specified audio players. A few excerpts from the chat follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

SEPULTURA's plans for 2010:

"The plan is to keep [touring] through next year. We're celebrating 25 years of the group. We have an intention to do a live DVD with our new drummer [Jean Dolabella], maybe an orchestra and stuff, to celebrate this special date. So, let's see. The plans are, really, to keep on the road for the next year."

On whether there is any bad blood between the current members of SEPULTURA and their former bandmates, vocalist/guitarist Max Cavalera (currently in SOULFLY and CAVALERA CONSPIRACY) and drummer Igor Cavalera (currently in CAVALERA CONSPIRACY and MIXHELL):

"Max [leaving SEPULTURA in 1996] was a pretty heavy departure. He was the singer, we were at the peak of our career, touring [in support of the gold-certified] 'Roots' [album] and everything; it was very difficult to keep everything together. When Igor left [in 2006], it was easier to deal with, with our experience that we had with Max and to rebuild the SEPULTURA career and everything. I mean, his departure was made step by step and he was not very happy touring etc. We [are] still on good terms, of course. Max is very hard to get in touch [with], but Igor lives in Brazil, our families know each other and stuff, and we still have a really cool relationship. But [we live in] different worlds — he's [Igor] doing a DJ job [with MIXHELL], using his drums in a different way."

On CAVALERA CONSPIRACY (the collaboration between brothers and former SEPULTURA members Max and Igor Cavalera):

"I think it's cool. It's great to see the brothers playing again. But, you know, it seems to me that everything [for the debut CAVALERA CONSPIRACY album, 'Inflikted'] was done in a rush. They could spend a little more time enjoying this brother reunion and jam and write something together. I mean, Igor was just the drummer there [on the first CAVALERA CONSPIRACY album]. But I think it's cool. At least they're talking to each other again, which is very positive."

On whether he thinks Marc Rizzo (SOULFLY guitarist) is a good fit for CAVALERA CONSPIRACY:

"I don't know, man. It could be anyone, because it's something new. Of course, they only do SEPULTURA stuff [when they play live], but... [laughs] I guess they don't have any choice. I think Marc Rizzo is a great player, he's a great guy... I really admire his style. I mean, his flamenco playing, his acoustic stuff, is amazing, and he's a great dude, man. It's great to see that he's jamming with Max for a long time, for awhile. I guess it's just whatever music they wanna do. I guess they [got] along well and it worked out cool."

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I'll only summarise my thoughts on Sepultura/Soulfly/CC and not venture into the splits and the controversies.

I honestly still love and rate Max-era Sepultura, above and beyond anything they (i.e every one of them) have done, ever since. Of the Derrick Green-era Sep, I once used to dislike him and those albums a lot, though I later came around to liking and appreciating the 'Hardcore-inflected' portions of the stuff on each of those records. Though I reckon records like Roorback and Roots would still mostly piss me and let me down. I never really dug Soulfly too much at all, though they do have their decent, cool moments. Cavelera Conspiracy is something that I have heard before, wasn't wowed or anything and soon forgot about them, though I've been meaning to revisit their stuff just recently. Writing this thread gives me a timely bump to do so straight away in the next few days. Heck, I might even give Soulfly another (second) chance. Who knows, maybe it will sound, for better or for worse, different this time.

I really enjoyed the last Sep disc, A-lex. I sort of liked it a lot better than new-Testament/Metallica/Megadeth/Exodus etc..

I'll be curious to buy and watch any 25th Anniversary DVD release Sepultura plan to put out, in the future.

What are your thoughts on this?

*btw, anybody here ever watched their brilliant Under a Pale Grey Sky dvd?

It really is a shame, for me, to see how low Sepultura has sunk from their Morbid Visions-Schizophrenia-Beneath the Remains to where they are now. They've fallen even farther than the bands you mentioned, IMO.

As for the 25th Anniversary DVD, I might get it.

Somewhat strange to see you feel that way, twins. Now, my disappointments and disillusionments with Sepultura are well-known in some forums and by some fans that know me well. And despite my various criticisms about post-Max Sepultura, I mostly thought they were still streets better than Soulfly, if that was small consolation (to me, and other fans). Also, as I hinted earlier, I did come around to enjoying the Green-fronted Sep for its own virtues and what it was, rather than hating the band for what it no longer was. And barring a few minor flaws, I honestly thought A-lex was a damn good effort, overall. I really liked the record. And sure, Sepultura has changed hugely, maybe irreversibly, from the classic years of MV-Schiz-BTR-Arise, but despite some screw-ups along the way, I actually think Sepultura have, on balance, held up pretty well, both in artistic intent, and execution. A-lex makes me keep the faith.
Overall, I disagree with the idea that Sepultura has 'fallen' any 'further' than the other bands I cited. Definitely no lower than an abysmal also-ran Metallica had already sunk a long time ago; as for Testament/Exodus/Megadeth, that's obviously more debatable, though I'd argue those bands have markedly declined, and paled as much as, if not more (than Sepultura), than a lot of people care to admit, apparently.

But heck, as long as they all keep going doing what they intend, there will be enough fans content to lap it up for what it's worth. I know how I'll still keep buying their new discs--even if I end up dissing them, later.

(11-29-2009 10:01 AM)NapalmKid Wrote: [ -> ]What are your thoughts on this?

Really, when Roots came out it was such a departure from Chaos or Arise, that I had already started moving on by the time Max left. I did enjoy certain cuts on Roots & still do. But it was obvious where the band was headed. And that was to a place I wasn't interested. I thought the band would implode so I am surprised they've survived. But their path & Soulfly's has been predictable. I will say this much, Sepultura need Max (& Igor) much more then Max needs Sepultura.

With that said, Soulfly has had a few decent moments amidst a rather bland series of albums. Aside from the debut album which was largely an experimental series of jams with bullshit rapping & shorter bursts of hardcore interspursed; the album 3, & the album Dark Ages both remind me of the early 90's Sepultura just enough. And while neither are perfect, they have enough there that I can respect the attempt.

Similarly, The Sepultura album Nation seems to pick up right where Chaos A.D. left off & sort of downplays the Roots shift. Again, not perfect... but notable, and decent. Overlooking the embarrassingly bad pair of releases, Roorback & Revolusongs, Dante X was a surprisingly decent album. Honestly that covers ep left me with such a bad opinion of Sepultura I was surprised I even entertained listening to the Dante album. I still haven't heard A-Lex, so I suppose I'll have to get off my ass & find some samples online or something.

I have seen both Sepultura (post Max) & Soulfly Live (Sep 3 times & Soulfly 1). Neither are close to the overwhelming onslaught of Max era Sepultura. Sepultura with Derek Greene leave a lot to be desired. Just in terms of those songs played with one guitarist, it lacks a lot in the interpretation. They really need to add another guy in the band, even if it's just for touring. Soulfly on the other hand played Sepultura material at least as good as the albums. It's not the real deal, but the next best thing for sure.

In terms of Cavalera Conspiracy... I agree with Andreas' assessment. It's so rushed there really nothing that sets it apart. As I recall it really just sounds like Max with a drum machine. Igor (If it's even him) barely even plays his tom drums (something truly indicative to his style). It's like he's handicapping himself to avert the Sepultura comparisons (just my assumption). But the end result is it's just very faceless and lacks a lot of what I would want from a collaboration with Max & Igor.

Anyway The 25 year dvd thing might be cool if it has archival footage. But their current inception lacks much thats relevant to me. And that seems to be what it's in celebration of.

And no NapalmKid, I still haven't seen the DVD for under a pale grey sky. The album is okay though. I'll have to check out the video.

I've actually been meaning to load up my MP3 device with some of the classic Sepultura material but haven't taken the time to dig it out & rip it all. Think I'll do that tomorrow.

(12-01-2009 03:31 AM)NapalmKid Wrote: [ -> ]Somewhat strange to see you feel that way, twins. Now, my disappointments and disillusionments with Sepultura are well-known in some forums and by some fans that know me well. And despite my various criticisms about post-Max Sepultura, I mostly thought they were still streets better than Soulfly, if that was small consolation (to me, and other fans). Also, as I hinted earlier, I did come around to enjoying the Green-fronted Sep for its own virtues and what it was, rather than hating the band for what it no longer was. And barring a few minor flaws, I honestly thought A-lex was a damn good effort, overall. I really liked the record. And sure, Sepultura has changed hugely, maybe irreversibly, from the classic years of MV-Schiz-BTR-Arise, but despite some screw-ups along the way, I actually think Sepultura have, on balance, held up pretty well, both in artistic intent, and execution. A-lex makes me keep the faith.
Overall, I disagree with the idea that Sepultura has 'fallen' any 'further' than the other bands I cited. Definitely no lower than an abysmal also-ran Metallica had already sunk a long time ago; as for Testament/Exodus/Megadeth, that's obviously more debatable, though I'd argue those bands have markedly declined, and paled as much as, if not more (than Sepultura), than a lot of people care to admit, apparently.

But heck, as long as they all keep going doing what they intend, there will be enough fans content to lap it up for what it's worth. I know how I'll still keep buying their new discs--even if I end up dissing them, later.

Well, I'm not even that big of a Sepultura fan in the first place (only like the first three). Everything since Chaos A.D. has been complete shit, IMO, whereas the other bands mentioned have at least put out listenable material.

To Warlock: Interesting to read your comments and there's much I'd wanna say in response. I'll try to keep it as brief as possible, though.

Our thoughts on post-Max Sepultura seem to overlap and be mostly in synch. As I said earlier, despite the fleeting good moments and vibes, I tried but failed to connect with Soulfly much at all, and I have a feeling that's not about to drastically change, today. CC appears to be a gimmicky spin-off (that I dislike)---though I have seen some fans talk of it more respectfully than they do about either Sep or Soulfly.

You're arguably spot-on about how Sep need Max and Igor more than those two (especially Max) needs that band----though, given what the brothers have done on their own makes one wonder how everyone of them apparently needs each other badly enough, and make the real deal TOGETHER---and when apart, they are all much diminished, musically.

You make a telling remark about Sep badly needing another guitarist, even if only for touring, live shows etc...I recall feeling that way myself, from time to time----but also figuring that maybe Sep could (and actually occasionally does) pull it off a la Napalm Death (after their estrangement with the late Jesse Pintado RIP, and his eventual passing away) with the terrific Mitch Harris handling lead guitar duties alone---and with plenty of ooomph, to boot. I'm not too unhappy with Andreas's lone efforts on guitar, overall. Should they ever consider hiring a second axeman, they know who to ask. LOLOL

I reckon Chaos A.D was the disc that threw a lot of fans out of whack, even before the spectacularly off-kilter, deflating Roots would make them finally flee in droves. Though so many of these fans ran straight into the arms of an act like Pantera (I like them) and others, that owe a lot of their so-called 'groove-thrash' recipe to the new directions that Sep had already helped highlight and popularise. You're right about Nation; that and Against are the two that I really like from the Green-era. Dante XXI is something that I only properly heard last year. Pretty decent release, I thought. What do you think of Against? And gosh, yes, both Roorback and Revolusongs were outright debacles (especially the atrocious latter release). I have a gut-feeling that you may not like A-lex, after all. Hope I'm wrong, when you eventually hear it, in full.

Alas, I'm hoping that they complete and release the promised DVD as soon as they can. Yea, I'd obviously hope that it chronicles and celebrates the comprehensive history and achievements of this great, important, enduring band.

EDIT: my careless mistake about the Under A Pale Grey Sky dvd. None exists. It's actually only a live album on audio cd. I was actually thinking about the really cool Chaos dvd of '02, got mixed up and erred in mentioning UAPGS, instead.

mntwinsfan Wrote:Well, I'm not even that big of a Sepultura fan in the first place (only like the first three). Everything since Chaos A.D. has been complete shit, IMO, whereas the other bands mentioned have at least put out listenable material.

Alright, then I guess that explains your earlier comments. As for at least "listenable material", I'd actually grant that accolade to ALL the bands we mentioned on this thread.

To answer your inquiry I was never much of a fan of Against. It's been since the CD came out that I've heard it, so forgive my limited recollection. It seemed to meander about a lot like the 1st Soulfly CD. Just sort of drilling one or two ideas ad nauseum - sort of jam style. The ideas were good, but I felt they should and could have been elaborated on greatly (Unlike the 1st Soulfly CD).

Chaos I suppose turned off some fans. Although I really connected with it. Not so much initially. But about a year after it came out I remember having to take a long drive and using that opportunity to really engage the CD. Its a lot more simple & direct compared to Arise, Remains, or earlier works. So I can see the reasoning for criticism from some, but I like Chaos as much as Remains, etc.

And yeah I had the VHS version Third World Chaos, & then supplimented it with the expanded Chaos DVD. Quite an excellent package if I do say so.