Cavalera Conspiracy
Encyclopedia
Cavalera Conspiracy is a Brazilian heavy metal
band founded by brothers Max
(vocals, guitar) and Igor Cavalera
(drums), along with American guitarist and bassist Marc Rizzo
and Johny Chow. The band originally formed in 2007 as Inflikted but changed its name for legal reasons. The group's creation marked the end of a 10-year feud between the Cavalera brothers, who founded Sepultura
in the early 1980s. They remained together in that band until December 1996, when Igor, guitarist Andreas Kisser
, and bassist Paulo Jr.
suggested to Max that the band cancel its contract with his wife and manager Gloria, saying she paid more attention to him than the band. Disagreeing, Max decided to leave Sepultura.
Max then formed a new band, Soulfly
, and his brother Igor recorded four studio albums with Sepultura before leaving the band in January 2006. In July 2006, Max received an unexpected call from his brother, and by the end of the conversation, Max had invited Igor to visit him in Phoenix, Arizona
, to perform in a Soulfly show. Igor joined Soulfly in concert and performed two Sepultura songs. After the show, Max suggested they begin a new project, and Igor accepted. To complete the band, Max chose Soulfly guitarist Marc Rizzo and the Gojira
frontman Joe Duplantier
to play bass guitar. The group then recorded their debut album at Undercity Studios in Los Angeles
with engineer and co-producer Logan Mader
in July 2007. Named after the band's original moniker, Inflikted
was released through Roadrunner Records
on 25 March 2008.
On Inflikted, the group's musical style combines elements of Sepultura and the Cavaleras' hardcore punk
roots, and the straightforward death metal
fused with riff
s and guitar solo
s of the thrash metal
and groove metal
that Sepultura created between Beneath the Remains
(1989), Arise (1991) and Chaos A.D. (1993).
The "Infliktour" supporting the debut album began on 30 May 2008, when Cavalera Conspiracy played its first official concert at the Electric Weekend festival in Madrid, Spain. Due to recording commitments with Gojira, Duplantier was unable to join Cavalera Conspiracy on tour. He was replaced by Johny Chow of Fireball Ministry
. The group has performed in several festivals in Europe and North America, including Pinkpop, Download
, Monsters of Rock
and the Ozzfest
.
's stepson Dana Wells, was killed in a car accident at the age of 21 in Phoenix, Arizona
. At the time, Cavalera was the lead vocalist for Sepultura
which was on tour promoting its sixth studio album, Roots, in England with Ozzy Osbourne
. After hearing the news, Ozzy and his wife Sharon Osbourne
hired a private plane to take Cavalera and his wife and manager, Gloria, back home. After the funeral, Max returned his focus to Sepultura, and the band resumed its European tour. Then, following a sold-out show at London's Brixton Academy on December 16—later documented on the live album Under a Pale Grey Sky
—drummer Igor Cavalera
, guitarist Andreas Kisser
, and bassist Paulo Jr.
told Max they wanted to replace numerous members of the band's staff, including Gloria. Andreas, Paulo and Igor proposed ending the contract with Gloria and hiring a new manager for Sepultura, saying that she paid more attention to Max than the band. The trio suggested that she could continue as Max's personal manager but that someone else should manage the band. Gloria refused. Max felt betrayed by his mates, especially his brother.
Max decided to leave Sepultura, as he felt that his band mates were "biting the hands that feed". In an interview with Revolver
magazine's May 2008 issue, Max explained that Gloria had worked for Sepultura for two years without earning one dollar, just for the passion of the music. Disagreeing with the other Sepultura members, Max said, "If this is how it's going down, I'm out. I quit. I can't just put a mask on and backstab a bunch of people that trust me." Later, Max stated that "it was the worst decision he had to make in his life".
His departure from Sepultura caused a 10-year feud between the Cavalera brothers. During this period, Max formed a new band, Soulfly
, which has released seven studio albums. Igor continued as Sepultura's drummer, appearing on the group's next four studio records
before leaving in January 2006 to work on his DJ project, Mixhell, and to spend more time with his family.
In July 2006, while Soulfly was on tour, Max received a call from his brother, and by the end of the conversation, Max had invited Igor to visit him in Phoenix for the tenth anniversary of D-Low, an annual memorial show for Dana. At the concert, Igor joined Soulfly and performed two Sepultura songs, "Roots Bloody Roots
" and "Attitude
," for which Dana had written the lyrics. In an interview with Chad Bowar for About.com
, Max stated that performance was "the birth of Cavalera Conspiracy". After the show, Max suggested they begin a new project after Soulfly finished touring. Max confessed to Bowar that he had lied to Igor when he said all the songs were ready when he had only finished one. He added, "It was one of those good lies. Everything rolled from there. What I like about the Conspiracy is that nothing is really planned. One thing leads to another. There's no pressure and it feels like a different project than anything I've done."
where they saw a "crazy ritual". Describing what he saw, Max said, "There was self-inflicted pain, knives, blood, fire. It was insane. It stuck in my head." Max stated that "Inflikted" was supposed to go to the Soulfly's sixth studio album Conquer
, but he wanted to do the song with Igor. For legal reasons, they could not use Inflikted as the band name. According to Max, "A lot of people had used it before, so he had to come up with something else." When trying to find a name, he "blurted out" Cavalera Conspiracy, and Igor liked it. Max added, "I think I like it better than Inflikted. It has a ring to it that connects me and Igor as two brothers back together."
and vocalist Joe Duplantier
of Gojira
. Rizzo was his choice because, according to Max, he and Rizzo "play together in Soulfly and musically we are like twin brothers". Max also said that he talked to Rizzo about going back to the roots of the mid-1980s thrash metal
, which he did with Sepultura. Max continues, "Marc was completely into it and he did great. He surpassed what I asked him to do." Max stated that Duplantier was Gloria's idea, as he did not know him at all. He added, "We had no idea who the guy is, he's from a different continent and we don't speak French. I did know the Gojira CD. But I like the element of surprise and danger Joe brought."
In July 2007, the band recorded their debut album at Undercity Studios in Los Angeles
with engineer and co-producer Logan Mader
(who played in Soulfly for a year after leaving Machine Head
in 1999) and Lucas Banker of the Dirty Icon production team. The album included guest appearances of bassist Rex Brown
on the song "Ultra-Violent", and Max's stepson Ritchie Cavalera singing on "Black Ark". Inflikted
, named after the band's original moniker, was released through Roadrunner Records
on 25 March 2008. Commercially, Inflikted did not have great sales, reaching moderate positions on the charts. The album reached the top 30 on Austria, Finland and Germany, and the top 40 on Australia and Belgium. Having sold more than 9,000 copies during its first week, Inflikted peaked at number 72 on the Billboard 200
chart.
The Infliktour supporting the debut album began on 30 May 2008, when Cavalera Conspiracy played its first official concert at the Electric Weekend festival in Madrid
, Spain. However, for this live performance and the subsequent European tour, the band had to replace Duplantier, who was unable to join Cavalera Conspiracy on the road as he was recording Gojira's fourth studio album, The Way of All Flesh
. He was replaced by Johny Chow of Fireball Ministry
. Between June and mid-July 2008, the band performed in several festivals, including appearances at the Pinkpop Festival, Rock am Ring and Rock im Park, Download Festival
, Graspop Metal Meeting
, Eurockéennes
, among others.
The band then returned to the United States for a North American tour from mid-July to August 2008, featuring headling dates with The Dillinger Escape Plan
, Throwdown, Bury Your Dead
, and Incite. Cavalera Conspiracy also performed at the Monsters of Rock
festival, which was held on July 26 at McMahon Stadium
in Calgary
, Canada, and the one-day Ozzfest
at the Pizza Hut Park
on August 9. During its tour, Cavalera Conspiracy performed on several dates with Judas Priest
at the Priest Feast throughout Eastern Europe
, but both bands cancelled their shows in Australia and New Zealand, which were scheduled for September 2008. In a press release, promoters claimed the cancellation was due to "logistic and freight issues", but Max Cavalera wrote on the band's website that they were "banned" from performing in New Zealand and Australia because someone—whom he did not specify—"deemed" them an "inappropriate" band and "too inflammatory".
Due to commitments of Max with Soulfly and Igor with Mixhell, Cavalera Conspiracy was put on hold until August 2009, when the band regrouped to touring in Europe and Japan, including shows at the Ankkarock
, Summer Sonic
, Pukkelpop
, and Trutnov
festivals, and two September 2009 dates in Austria and Russia.
that he and his brother Igor have plans to work on a second Cavalera Conspiracy album together. The following month, Noisecreep spoke with Igor about a new Cavalera Conspiracy album. Igor said that he and Max are both busy with their main commitments, but "We have some ideas of maybe doing a remix album of [Inflikted] and have people like Justice
or Soulwax
—even some dub
artists that my brother likes—remix the whole album," he says. "But that's just an idea. It's nothing confirmed. But me and Max are talking about doing a new album in the future, but there's no pressure. There's nobody from the label or the agents trying to push us to do it as quick as possible."
Cavalera Conspiracy entered the studio in April 2010 to begin recording the follow-up to their 2008 debut album, Inflikted. In May 2010, the band finished recording with producer Logan Mader in co-production with Max. Cavalera Conspiracy recruited their touring bassist Johny Chow to play bass on the album, as former member Joe Duplantier
was busy with Gojira
's next album. Upon finished recordings, Roadrunner Records
confirmed that the band's new album would not be released until early 2011.
On November 16, 2010, in an article on blabbermouth.net
it was revealed that the band's second album would be titled Blunt Force Trauma
, and would be released on March 29, 2011. A tracklist for the album was also revealed.
Prior to the album's release 2 songs were published by the band. The song "Killing inside" was released via the homepage of the band's label Roadrunner Records and the Cavalera Conspiracy newsletter. The download was only available from February 7, 2011 until February 9, 2011. The title track "Blunt Force Trauma" was released on February 17, 2011 as a stream via the Roadrunner Records homepage.
's Jon Wiederhorn, pointed out that although the songs were arranged and recorded quickly, Inflikted sounds neither hastily executed nor incomplete. There's a connection between Max's riff
ing and Igor's drumming; a chemistry that comes only from musicians who learned to play together and honed their craft through years of studio sessions and live shows. Wiederhorn described Inflikted as an "explosive flashback to the remorseless thrash and primal groove-metal Sepultura created between 1991's Arise and 1993's Chaos A.D. [...] The songs are raw and simple, yet graced with syncopated drum runs, experimental guitar flourishes, and sonic frills inspired by Max's love of reggae and Igor's fascination with DJ culture. The vocals are primal and savage, emboldened by a sense of urgency that's equal parts desperation, rage, and celebration."
On Inflikted, Max was the group's songwriter and lyricist. At the time of the album recording, he was watching the same four movies almost every day: Apocalypse Now
, City of God, A Clockwork Orange
, and La Haine
. Max revealed to Revolver that he wanted to do something different, and it gave him a lot of ideas. He said, "What came out of this album was more than enough to fill the void of not working together for so long. It's pretty intense. From the first moment, it's war."
Allmusic's Eduardo Rivadavia, said that release of Inflikted "brings to fruition one of the most anticipated yet most improbable reunions in heavy metal history." Rivadavia expressed that Duplantier "generally just keeps a low sonic profile and his nose out of trouble, but Rizzo's contributions really can't be overstated. [...] His otherworldly soloing and inventive melodic lines often serve as the creative catalysts responsible for the most inspired moments." Keith Carman of Exclaim!
praised the group's musicianship on Inflikted, saying that "it wouldn't be a stretch to proclaim that Inflikted, with its detuned grunt, bombastic lyrics and hyperactive drumming, is the album that should have succeeded Sepultura's widely-acclaimed 1996 powerhouse Roots." Like the former, Adrien Begrand of PopMatters
wrote enthusiastically for both Cavalera Conspiracy and Inflikted.
Joel McIver
of Record Collector
wrote: "Inflikted is gobsmackingly violent. The 11 tracks combine hardcore punk (without the crappy production) and thrash metal (without the clichés) to produce an insanely fast record loaded with references to their best work: Sepultura’s Beneath the Remains and Arise. It’s too modern to sound close to those records, of course, but in terms of attitude and riff weight it matches them beat-for-beat and riff-for-riff. Those thousands praying for the Max-era Sepultura line-up to reform can get off their knees: the key reunion has happened."
Former
)
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band founded by brothers Max
Max Cavalera
Massimiliano Antonio "Max" Cavalera is a Brazilian singer, guitarist, and songwriter. He was the lead singer and rhythm guitarist for the heavy metal band Sepultura, before forming Soulfly in the late 1990s...
(vocals, guitar) and Igor Cavalera
Igor Cavalera
Igor Graziano Cavalera is a Brazilian musician. He is best known as the former drummer for Brazilian heavy metal band Sepultura.-Biography:...
(drums), along with American guitarist and bassist Marc Rizzo
Marc Rizzo
Marc Rizzo is the lead guitarist of American metal band Soulfly and formerly of Ill Niño. He has featured on four Soulfly albums to date: Prophecy, Dark Ages, Conquer, and Omen. He has also released three solo instrumental albums; Colossal Myopia, The Ultimate Devotion, and Legionnaire...
and Johny Chow. The band originally formed in 2007 as Inflikted but changed its name for legal reasons. The group's creation marked the end of a 10-year feud between the Cavalera brothers, who founded Sepultura
Sepultura
Sepultura is a Brazilian heavy metal band from Belo Horizonte, formed in 1984. The band was a major force in the death metal, thrash metal and ultimately groove metal realms during the late 1980s and early 1990s, with their later experiments melding nu metal, hardcore punk and industrial.Sepultura...
in the early 1980s. They remained together in that band until December 1996, when Igor, guitarist Andreas Kisser
Andreas Kisser
Andreas Rudolf Kisser is the lead guitarist for the metal band Sepultura as well as the rock supergroup HAIL!-Biography:...
, and bassist Paulo Jr.
Paulo Jr.
Paulo Jr. is the bassist and the only remaining original member of the Brazilian heavy metal band Sepultura.-Life and work:...
suggested to Max that the band cancel its contract with his wife and manager Gloria, saying she paid more attention to him than the band. Disagreeing, Max decided to leave Sepultura.
Max then formed a new band, Soulfly
Soulfly
Soulfly is a heavy metal band formed in 1997 based in Phoenix, Arizona. The original lyrical content revolved around spirituality and religious themes, with later albums encompassing other themes including war, violence, aggression, hatred and anger. Soulfly is led by former Sepultura frontman Max...
, and his brother Igor recorded four studio albums with Sepultura before leaving the band in January 2006. In July 2006, Max received an unexpected call from his brother, and by the end of the conversation, Max had invited Igor to visit him in Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
, to perform in a Soulfly show. Igor joined Soulfly in concert and performed two Sepultura songs. After the show, Max suggested they begin a new project, and Igor accepted. To complete the band, Max chose Soulfly guitarist Marc Rizzo and the Gojira
Gojira (band)
Gojira is a heavy metal band formed in 1996 in Bayonne, France. The band was known as Godzilla until 2001. Gojira is composed of Joe Duplantier on vocals and guitar, his brother Mario Duplantier on drums, Christian Andreu on guitar and Jean-Michel Labadie on bass...
frontman Joe Duplantier
Joe Duplantier
Joseph Duplantier is a French musician who is the guitarist and vocalist of Gojira and was the bassist for Cavalera Conspiracy.-Music:Joe Duplantier's influences include bands such as Meshuggah, Metallica, Morbid Angel and Sepultura....
to play bass guitar. The group then recorded their debut album at Undercity Studios in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
with engineer and co-producer Logan Mader
Logan Mader
Logan Mader was born on November 16, 1970 in Montreal, Canada. Logan is best known for his work as a guitarist in the heavy metal band Machine Head, who formed in Oakland, California in 1992. Their 1994 debut, Burn My Eyes, was released by Roadrunner Records and quickly became the top-selling...
in July 2007. Named after the band's original moniker, Inflikted
Inflikted
Inflikted is the debut album from Cavalera Conspiracy, the Cavalera brothers' first record together in 12 years - since the release of Roots by Sepultura in 1996.-Album information:...
was released through Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records is an American record label that concentrates primarily on heavy metal bands. It is currently a subsidiary of Warner Music Group.-History:...
on 25 March 2008.
On Inflikted, the group's musical style combines elements of Sepultura and the Cavaleras' hardcore punk
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
roots, and the straightforward death metal
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
fused with riff
RIFF
The Resource Interchange File Format is a generic file container format for storing data in tagged chunks. It is primarily used to store multimedia such as sound and video, though it may also be used to store any arbitrary data....
s and guitar solo
Guitar solo
In popular music, a guitar solo is a melodic passage, section, or entire piece of music written for an electric guitar or an acoustic guitar. Guitar solos, which often contain varying degrees of improvisation, are used in many styles of popular music such as blues, jazz, rock and metal styles such...
s of the thrash metal
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
and groove metal
Groove metal
Groove metal is a subgenre of heavy metal. It was often used to describe Pantera and Exhorder.- Characteristics and origins :Pantera's Cowboys from Hell album from 1990 was described as "groundbreaking" and "blueprint-defining" for the groove metal genre...
that Sepultura created between Beneath the Remains
Beneath the Remains
Beneath the Remains is the third studio album by Brazilian heavy metal band Sepultura, released in 1989. It was their first release through Roadrunner Records.-Overview:...
(1989), Arise (1991) and Chaos A.D. (1993).
The "Infliktour" supporting the debut album began on 30 May 2008, when Cavalera Conspiracy played its first official concert at the Electric Weekend festival in Madrid, Spain. Due to recording commitments with Gojira, Duplantier was unable to join Cavalera Conspiracy on tour. He was replaced by Johny Chow of Fireball Ministry
Fireball Ministry
Fireball Ministry is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California formed in 1999.- Biography :Conceived in Cincinnati in the late '90s by James A. Rota II and Emily Burton, the band moved to New York City before settling in Los Angeles. In 2000 they performed at the two-day "November...
. The group has performed in several festivals in Europe and North America, including Pinkpop, Download
Download Festival
The Download Festival is a three day rock music festival held annually at Donington Park, England . It usually takes place in June...
, Monsters of Rock
Monsters of Rock
Monsters of Rock was an annual music festival held in England, then moved in other locations like The Netherlands, France, Italy, Germany, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Chile.The Last show was in 2008....
and the Ozzfest
Ozzfest
Ozzfest is an annual festival tour of the United States featuring performances by many heavy metal and hard rock musical groups. It was founded by Ozzy Osbourne and his wife Sharon Osbourne, both of whom also organize each yearly tour with their son Jack Osbourne...
.
Background
On 16 August 1996 at 1:43 a.m., Max CavaleraMax Cavalera
Massimiliano Antonio "Max" Cavalera is a Brazilian singer, guitarist, and songwriter. He was the lead singer and rhythm guitarist for the heavy metal band Sepultura, before forming Soulfly in the late 1990s...
's stepson Dana Wells, was killed in a car accident at the age of 21 in Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
. At the time, Cavalera was the lead vocalist for Sepultura
Sepultura
Sepultura is a Brazilian heavy metal band from Belo Horizonte, formed in 1984. The band was a major force in the death metal, thrash metal and ultimately groove metal realms during the late 1980s and early 1990s, with their later experiments melding nu metal, hardcore punk and industrial.Sepultura...
which was on tour promoting its sixth studio album, Roots, in England with Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal...
. After hearing the news, Ozzy and his wife Sharon Osbourne
Sharon Osbourne
Sharon Rachel Osbourne is an English television host, author, music manager, businesswoman and promoter as well as the wife of heavy metal singer-songwriter Ozzy Osbourne....
hired a private plane to take Cavalera and his wife and manager, Gloria, back home. After the funeral, Max returned his focus to Sepultura, and the band resumed its European tour. Then, following a sold-out show at London's Brixton Academy on December 16—later documented on the live album Under a Pale Grey Sky
Under a Pale Grey Sky
Under a Pale Grey Sky is a live album by Sepultura, released September 24, 2002 through Roadrunner Records. The album was recorded in the Brixton Academy, London on December 16, 1996, the night that Max Cavalera left the band.-Album information:...
—drummer Igor Cavalera
Igor Cavalera
Igor Graziano Cavalera is a Brazilian musician. He is best known as the former drummer for Brazilian heavy metal band Sepultura.-Biography:...
, guitarist Andreas Kisser
Andreas Kisser
Andreas Rudolf Kisser is the lead guitarist for the metal band Sepultura as well as the rock supergroup HAIL!-Biography:...
, and bassist Paulo Jr.
Paulo Jr.
Paulo Jr. is the bassist and the only remaining original member of the Brazilian heavy metal band Sepultura.-Life and work:...
told Max they wanted to replace numerous members of the band's staff, including Gloria. Andreas, Paulo and Igor proposed ending the contract with Gloria and hiring a new manager for Sepultura, saying that she paid more attention to Max than the band. The trio suggested that she could continue as Max's personal manager but that someone else should manage the band. Gloria refused. Max felt betrayed by his mates, especially his brother.
Max decided to leave Sepultura, as he felt that his band mates were "biting the hands that feed". In an interview with Revolver
Revolver (magazine)
Revolver is a bi-monthly rock and heavy metal magazine published by Future US. Before covering heavy metal, rock & hard rock solely, it was a more mainstream oriented magazine. The magazine is structured in a manner similar to publications such as Spin while covering many avenues within the heavy...
magazine's May 2008 issue, Max explained that Gloria had worked for Sepultura for two years without earning one dollar, just for the passion of the music. Disagreeing with the other Sepultura members, Max said, "If this is how it's going down, I'm out. I quit. I can't just put a mask on and backstab a bunch of people that trust me." Later, Max stated that "it was the worst decision he had to make in his life".
His departure from Sepultura caused a 10-year feud between the Cavalera brothers. During this period, Max formed a new band, Soulfly
Soulfly
Soulfly is a heavy metal band formed in 1997 based in Phoenix, Arizona. The original lyrical content revolved around spirituality and religious themes, with later albums encompassing other themes including war, violence, aggression, hatred and anger. Soulfly is led by former Sepultura frontman Max...
, which has released seven studio albums. Igor continued as Sepultura's drummer, appearing on the group's next four studio records
Sepultura discography
The discography of Sepultura, a Brazilian heavy metal band, consists of eleven studio albums, two live albums, three compilation albums, four EPs, five video albums, thirteen singles, and fifteen music videos....
before leaving in January 2006 to work on his DJ project, Mixhell, and to spend more time with his family.
In July 2006, while Soulfly was on tour, Max received a call from his brother, and by the end of the conversation, Max had invited Igor to visit him in Phoenix for the tenth anniversary of D-Low, an annual memorial show for Dana. At the concert, Igor joined Soulfly and performed two Sepultura songs, "Roots Bloody Roots
Roots Bloody Roots
"Roots Bloody Roots" is a song by Sepultura, the song is released as the first single from their sixth album Roots, released in 1996. The song is the band's best known and remains a concert staple to this day. A music video was filmed for the single which features the band performing in an...
" and "Attitude
Attitude (Sepultura song)
"Attitude" is Sepultura's eighth official single, and the second of three to be taken from the 1996 album Roots. The song is amongst the band's best-known and remains a concert staple to this day...
," for which Dana had written the lyrics. In an interview with Chad Bowar for About.com
About.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
, Max stated that performance was "the birth of Cavalera Conspiracy". After the show, Max suggested they begin a new project after Soulfly finished touring. Max confessed to Bowar that he had lied to Igor when he said all the songs were ready when he had only finished one. He added, "It was one of those good lies. Everything rolled from there. What I like about the Conspiracy is that nothing is really planned. One thing leads to another. There's no pressure and it feels like a different project than anything I've done."
Name
Before talking with his brother, Max wrote a song entitled "Inflikted," inspired by Sepultura's visit in 1992 to IndonesiaIndonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
where they saw a "crazy ritual". Describing what he saw, Max said, "There was self-inflicted pain, knives, blood, fire. It was insane. It stuck in my head." Max stated that "Inflikted" was supposed to go to the Soulfly's sixth studio album Conquer
Conquer (album)
-Bonus DVD listing:Live in Warsaw, Poland#"Prophecy"#"Downstroy"#"Seek 'n' Strike"#"No Hope = No Fear"#"Jumpdafuckup / Bring It"#"Living Sacrifice"#"Mars"#"Brasil"#"No"#"L.O.T.M."#"Porrada"#"Drums"#"Moses"#"Frontlines"#"Back to the Primitive"...
, but he wanted to do the song with Igor. For legal reasons, they could not use Inflikted as the band name. According to Max, "A lot of people had used it before, so he had to come up with something else." When trying to find a name, he "blurted out" Cavalera Conspiracy, and Igor liked it. Max added, "I think I like it better than Inflikted. It has a ring to it that connects me and Igor as two brothers back together."
Inflikted (2007–2009)
To complete the band, Max chose Soulfly guitarist Marc RizzoMarc Rizzo
Marc Rizzo is the lead guitarist of American metal band Soulfly and formerly of Ill Niño. He has featured on four Soulfly albums to date: Prophecy, Dark Ages, Conquer, and Omen. He has also released three solo instrumental albums; Colossal Myopia, The Ultimate Devotion, and Legionnaire...
and vocalist Joe Duplantier
Joe Duplantier
Joseph Duplantier is a French musician who is the guitarist and vocalist of Gojira and was the bassist for Cavalera Conspiracy.-Music:Joe Duplantier's influences include bands such as Meshuggah, Metallica, Morbid Angel and Sepultura....
of Gojira
Gojira (band)
Gojira is a heavy metal band formed in 1996 in Bayonne, France. The band was known as Godzilla until 2001. Gojira is composed of Joe Duplantier on vocals and guitar, his brother Mario Duplantier on drums, Christian Andreu on guitar and Jean-Michel Labadie on bass...
. Rizzo was his choice because, according to Max, he and Rizzo "play together in Soulfly and musically we are like twin brothers". Max also said that he talked to Rizzo about going back to the roots of the mid-1980s thrash metal
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
, which he did with Sepultura. Max continues, "Marc was completely into it and he did great. He surpassed what I asked him to do." Max stated that Duplantier was Gloria's idea, as he did not know him at all. He added, "We had no idea who the guy is, he's from a different continent and we don't speak French. I did know the Gojira CD. But I like the element of surprise and danger Joe brought."
In July 2007, the band recorded their debut album at Undercity Studios in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
with engineer and co-producer Logan Mader
Logan Mader
Logan Mader was born on November 16, 1970 in Montreal, Canada. Logan is best known for his work as a guitarist in the heavy metal band Machine Head, who formed in Oakland, California in 1992. Their 1994 debut, Burn My Eyes, was released by Roadrunner Records and quickly became the top-selling...
(who played in Soulfly for a year after leaving Machine Head
Machine Head (band)
Machine Head is an American heavy metal band from Oakland, California. Formed on October 12, 1991, the group was founded by Robb Flynn and Adam Duce. There have been 4 member changes since their inception. The current lineup of the band comprises Flynn , Duce , ex-Vio-Lence guitarist Phil Demmel ,...
in 1999) and Lucas Banker of the Dirty Icon production team. The album included guest appearances of bassist Rex Brown
Rex Brown
Rex Robert Brown is an American heavy metal bassist. A former member of Down, he is most famous as the longtime bassist for the Grammy-nominated, platinum-selling band Pantera.-Pantera:...
on the song "Ultra-Violent", and Max's stepson Ritchie Cavalera singing on "Black Ark". Inflikted
Inflikted
Inflikted is the debut album from Cavalera Conspiracy, the Cavalera brothers' first record together in 12 years - since the release of Roots by Sepultura in 1996.-Album information:...
, named after the band's original moniker, was released through Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records is an American record label that concentrates primarily on heavy metal bands. It is currently a subsidiary of Warner Music Group.-History:...
on 25 March 2008. Commercially, Inflikted did not have great sales, reaching moderate positions on the charts. The album reached the top 30 on Austria, Finland and Germany, and the top 40 on Australia and Belgium. Having sold more than 9,000 copies during its first week, Inflikted peaked at number 72 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart.
The Infliktour supporting the debut album began on 30 May 2008, when Cavalera Conspiracy played its first official concert at the Electric Weekend festival in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, Spain. However, for this live performance and the subsequent European tour, the band had to replace Duplantier, who was unable to join Cavalera Conspiracy on the road as he was recording Gojira's fourth studio album, The Way of All Flesh
The Way of All Flesh (album)
Hidden TrackThe final song and title track of the album, "The Way of All Flesh," contains a hidden instrumental song. The main piece of the track ends at 6:51 and the hidden songs starts in at 12:33 giving the song a period of silence lasting 5:42. The song contains complex layers of ambient guitar...
. He was replaced by Johny Chow of Fireball Ministry
Fireball Ministry
Fireball Ministry is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California formed in 1999.- Biography :Conceived in Cincinnati in the late '90s by James A. Rota II and Emily Burton, the band moved to New York City before settling in Los Angeles. In 2000 they performed at the two-day "November...
. Between June and mid-July 2008, the band performed in several festivals, including appearances at the Pinkpop Festival, Rock am Ring and Rock im Park, Download Festival
Download Festival
The Download Festival is a three day rock music festival held annually at Donington Park, England . It usually takes place in June...
, Graspop Metal Meeting
Graspop Metal Meeting
Graspop Metal Meeting is an annual metal festival in Dessel, Belgium that has taken place each year since 1996. Despite the small size of the festival grounds the festival draws a large number of international spectators, with a total of 142,000 visitors in the course of the 2011 edition...
, Eurockéennes
Eurockéennes
The Eurockéennes de Belfort is one of France's largest rock music festivals. The Eurockéennes, a play on words involving the words rock and européennes , is a festival based in a nature reserve in Malsaucy near Belfort...
, among others.
The band then returned to the United States for a North American tour from mid-July to August 2008, featuring headling dates with The Dillinger Escape Plan
The Dillinger Escape Plan
The Dillinger Escape Plan is an American mathcore band from Morris Plains, New Jersey. The group originated in 1997 after the disbanding of Arcane, a hardcore punk trio consisting of Ben Weinman, Dimitri Minakakis, and Chris Pennie. The band's current line-up consists of guitarist Ben Weinman,...
, Throwdown, Bury Your Dead
Bury Your Dead
Bury Your Dead is an American metalcore band from Boston, Massachusetts, United States, formed in 2001. To date they have had eight releases; one EP: Bury Your Dead, one live DVD: Alive, and six studio albums: You Had Me at Hello, Cover Your Tracks, Beauty and the Breakdown, Bury Your Dead, It's...
, and Incite. Cavalera Conspiracy also performed at the Monsters of Rock
Monsters of Rock
Monsters of Rock was an annual music festival held in England, then moved in other locations like The Netherlands, France, Italy, Germany, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Chile.The Last show was in 2008....
festival, which was held on July 26 at McMahon Stadium
McMahon Stadium
McMahon Stadium is a Canadian football stadium located in Calgary, Alberta. The stadium is owned by the University of Calgary and operated by the McMahon Stadium Society....
in Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
, Canada, and the one-day Ozzfest
Ozzfest
Ozzfest is an annual festival tour of the United States featuring performances by many heavy metal and hard rock musical groups. It was founded by Ozzy Osbourne and his wife Sharon Osbourne, both of whom also organize each yearly tour with their son Jack Osbourne...
at the Pizza Hut Park
Pizza Hut Park
Pizza Hut Park is a soccer-specific stadium with a 21,193-seat capacity, built and owned by the city of Frisco, Texas. Its primary tenant is Major League Soccer team FC Dallas, which relocated from the Cotton Bowl in central Dallas to the fast-growing suburb...
on August 9. During its tour, Cavalera Conspiracy performed on several dates with Judas Priest
Judas Priest
Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band from Birmingham, England, formed in 1969. The current line-up consists of lead vocalist Rob Halford, guitarists Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner, bassist Ian Hill, and drummer Scott Travis. The band has gone through several drummers over the years,...
at the Priest Feast throughout Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
, but both bands cancelled their shows in Australia and New Zealand, which were scheduled for September 2008. In a press release, promoters claimed the cancellation was due to "logistic and freight issues", but Max Cavalera wrote on the band's website that they were "banned" from performing in New Zealand and Australia because someone—whom he did not specify—"deemed" them an "inappropriate" band and "too inflammatory".
Due to commitments of Max with Soulfly and Igor with Mixhell, Cavalera Conspiracy was put on hold until August 2009, when the band regrouped to touring in Europe and Japan, including shows at the Ankkarock
Ankkarock
Ankkarock is a Finnish rock and metal festival held annually in Korso, Vantaa, in the Greater Helsinki area. It literally translates into Duckrock. The first Ankkarock was held in 1989; the festival was free of charge until 1998....
, Summer Sonic
Summer Sonic Festival
The Summer Sonic Festival is an annual two or three-days rock festival held at the same time in Osaka and Chiba. The majority of the bands playing in Osaka the first day go to Chiba the following day and vice versa....
, Pukkelpop
Pukkelpop
Pukkelpop is an annual music festival which takes place near the city of Hasselt, Belgium in mid-to-late August. It is held within a large enclosure of fields and woodland—between a dual carriageway called Kempische Steenweg—in the village of Kiewit, approximately 7 km north of Hasselt...
, and Trutnov
Trutnov Open Air Music Festival
Trutnov Open Air Music Festival is one of the biggest music festivals in the Czech Republic. Its origins go back to 1987 when it was founded on the tradition of Underground culture in the city of Trutnov...
festivals, and two September 2009 dates in Austria and Russia.
Blunt Force Trauma (2009–present)
In October 2009, Max told NoisecreepNoisecreep
Noisecreep is a hard rock and heavy metal music news and media website based in the United States. The site was created by AOL Music in March 2009....
that he and his brother Igor have plans to work on a second Cavalera Conspiracy album together. The following month, Noisecreep spoke with Igor about a new Cavalera Conspiracy album. Igor said that he and Max are both busy with their main commitments, but "We have some ideas of maybe doing a remix album of [Inflikted] and have people like Justice
Justice (French band)
Justice is a French electronic music duo consisting of Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay . The duo is one of the most successful groups on Ed Banger Records and is managed by the label's head, Pedro Winter...
or Soulwax
Soulwax
Soulwax, headed by David and Stephen Dewaele, are an alternative rock/electronic band from Ghent, Belgium. Next to the Dewaele brothers, Soulwax consists of bassist Stefaan Van Leuven and drummer Steve Slingeneyer. They were first noticed after the release of their album Much Against Everyone's...
—even some dub
Dub music
Dub is a genre of music which grew out of reggae music in the 1960s, and is commonly considered a subgenre, though it has developed to extend beyond the scope of reggae...
artists that my brother likes—remix the whole album," he says. "But that's just an idea. It's nothing confirmed. But me and Max are talking about doing a new album in the future, but there's no pressure. There's nobody from the label or the agents trying to push us to do it as quick as possible."
Cavalera Conspiracy entered the studio in April 2010 to begin recording the follow-up to their 2008 debut album, Inflikted. In May 2010, the band finished recording with producer Logan Mader in co-production with Max. Cavalera Conspiracy recruited their touring bassist Johny Chow to play bass on the album, as former member Joe Duplantier
Joe Duplantier
Joseph Duplantier is a French musician who is the guitarist and vocalist of Gojira and was the bassist for Cavalera Conspiracy.-Music:Joe Duplantier's influences include bands such as Meshuggah, Metallica, Morbid Angel and Sepultura....
was busy with Gojira
Gojira
Gojira is a heavy metal band formed in 1996 in Bayonne, France. The band was known as Godzilla until 2001. Gojira is composed of Joe Duplantier on vocals and guitar, his brother Mario Duplantier on drums, Christian Andreu on guitar and Jean-Michel Labadie on bass...
's next album. Upon finished recordings, Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records is an American record label that concentrates primarily on heavy metal bands. It is currently a subsidiary of Warner Music Group.-History:...
confirmed that the band's new album would not be released until early 2011.
On November 16, 2010, in an article on blabbermouth.net
Blabbermouth.net
Blabbermouth.net is a website dedicated to heavy metal and hard rock news, as well as album and music DVD reviews. Blabbermouth.net was founded and is run by Borivoj Krgin. The first version of the website was officially launched in March 2001...
it was revealed that the band's second album would be titled Blunt Force Trauma
Blunt Force Trauma (album)
Blunt Force Trauma is the second studio album by Brazilian groove metal band Cavalera Conspiracy. The album was released on March 29, 2011 through Roadrunner Records.-Album information:...
, and would be released on March 29, 2011. A tracklist for the album was also revealed.
Prior to the album's release 2 songs were published by the band. The song "Killing inside" was released via the homepage of the band's label Roadrunner Records and the Cavalera Conspiracy newsletter. The download was only available from February 7, 2011 until February 9, 2011. The title track "Blunt Force Trauma" was released on February 17, 2011 as a stream via the Roadrunner Records homepage.
Style, lyrics and reception
RevolverRevolver (magazine)
Revolver is a bi-monthly rock and heavy metal magazine published by Future US. Before covering heavy metal, rock & hard rock solely, it was a more mainstream oriented magazine. The magazine is structured in a manner similar to publications such as Spin while covering many avenues within the heavy...
's Jon Wiederhorn, pointed out that although the songs were arranged and recorded quickly, Inflikted sounds neither hastily executed nor incomplete. There's a connection between Max's riff
RIFF
The Resource Interchange File Format is a generic file container format for storing data in tagged chunks. It is primarily used to store multimedia such as sound and video, though it may also be used to store any arbitrary data....
ing and Igor's drumming; a chemistry that comes only from musicians who learned to play together and honed their craft through years of studio sessions and live shows. Wiederhorn described Inflikted as an "explosive flashback to the remorseless thrash and primal groove-metal Sepultura created between 1991's Arise and 1993's Chaos A.D. [...] The songs are raw and simple, yet graced with syncopated drum runs, experimental guitar flourishes, and sonic frills inspired by Max's love of reggae and Igor's fascination with DJ culture. The vocals are primal and savage, emboldened by a sense of urgency that's equal parts desperation, rage, and celebration."
On Inflikted, Max was the group's songwriter and lyricist. At the time of the album recording, he was watching the same four movies almost every day: Apocalypse Now
Apocalypse Now
Apocalypse Now is a 1979 American war film set during the Vietnam War, produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The central character is US Army special operations officer Captain Benjamin L. Willard , of MACV-SOG, an assassin sent to kill the renegade and presumed insane Special Forces...
, City of God, A Clockwork Orange
A Clockwork Orange (film)
A Clockwork Orange is a 1971 film adaptation of Anthony Burgess's 1962 novel of the same name. It was written, directed and produced by Stanley Kubrick...
, and La Haine
La Haine
La Haine is a 1995 French black-and-white film written, co-edited, and directed by Mathieu Kassovitz. It is commonly released under its French title in the English-speaking world, although its American VHS release was entitled Hate. It is about three teenage friends and their struggle to live in...
. Max revealed to Revolver that he wanted to do something different, and it gave him a lot of ideas. He said, "What came out of this album was more than enough to fill the void of not working together for so long. It's pretty intense. From the first moment, it's war."
Allmusic's Eduardo Rivadavia, said that release of Inflikted "brings to fruition one of the most anticipated yet most improbable reunions in heavy metal history." Rivadavia expressed that Duplantier "generally just keeps a low sonic profile and his nose out of trouble, but Rizzo's contributions really can't be overstated. [...] His otherworldly soloing and inventive melodic lines often serve as the creative catalysts responsible for the most inspired moments." Keith Carman of Exclaim!
Exclaim!
Exclaim! is a monthly Canadian music magazine that features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with special focus on Canadian and cutting-edge artists...
praised the group's musicianship on Inflikted, saying that "it wouldn't be a stretch to proclaim that Inflikted, with its detuned grunt, bombastic lyrics and hyperactive drumming, is the album that should have succeeded Sepultura's widely-acclaimed 1996 powerhouse Roots." Like the former, Adrien Begrand of PopMatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
wrote enthusiastically for both Cavalera Conspiracy and Inflikted.
Sure, it's not a Sepultura reunion, but having Max and Igor performing on record for the first time in a dozen years is as close as we'll ever get, and not only does Cavalera Conspiracy's Inflikted revisit the post-thrash sounds of 1993's Chaos A.D., but it manages to outshine anything Sepultura has put out in the last dozen years. Rounded out by Soulfly lead guitarist Marc Rizzo and, most impressively, Gojira frontman Joe Duplantier on bass and rhythm guitar, the band is as solid a metal supergroup as you'll ever come across, and the album's eleven tracks benefit hugely from the chemistry between the four musicians.
Joel McIver
Joel McIver
Joel McIver is a British author. The best-known of his 20 books to date is the bestselling Justice For All: The Truth About Metallica, first published in 2004 and selling close to 50,000 copies in nine languages since then. McIver's other works include biographies of Black Sabbath, Slayer, Ice...
of Record Collector
Record Collector
Record Collector is the United Kingdom's longest-running monthly music magazine. It distributes both within the UK and worldwide. It started in 1979.-The early years:...
wrote: "Inflikted is gobsmackingly violent. The 11 tracks combine hardcore punk (without the crappy production) and thrash metal (without the clichés) to produce an insanely fast record loaded with references to their best work: Sepultura’s Beneath the Remains and Arise. It’s too modern to sound close to those records, of course, but in terms of attitude and riff weight it matches them beat-for-beat and riff-for-riff. Those thousands praying for the Max-era Sepultura line-up to reform can get off their knees: the key reunion has happened."
Personnel
- Max CavaleraMax CavaleraMassimiliano Antonio "Max" Cavalera is a Brazilian singer, guitarist, and songwriter. He was the lead singer and rhythm guitarist for the heavy metal band Sepultura, before forming Soulfly in the late 1990s...
– vocalsLead vocalistThe lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...
, rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
(2007–present) - Igor CavaleraIgor CavaleraIgor Graziano Cavalera is a Brazilian musician. He is best known as the former drummer for Brazilian heavy metal band Sepultura.-Biography:...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
(2007–present) - Marc RizzoMarc RizzoMarc Rizzo is the lead guitarist of American metal band Soulfly and formerly of Ill Niño. He has featured on four Soulfly albums to date: Prophecy, Dark Ages, Conquer, and Omen. He has also released three solo instrumental albums; Colossal Myopia, The Ultimate Devotion, and Legionnaire...
– lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
(2007–present) - Johny Chow – bass guitar (2008–present)
Former
- Joe DuplantierJoe DuplantierJoseph Duplantier is a French musician who is the guitarist and vocalist of Gojira and was the bassist for Cavalera Conspiracy.-Music:Joe Duplantier's influences include bands such as Meshuggah, Metallica, Morbid Angel and Sepultura....
– bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
(2007–2008)
Discography
- InfliktedInfliktedInflikted is the debut album from Cavalera Conspiracy, the Cavalera brothers' first record together in 12 years - since the release of Roots by Sepultura in 1996.-Album information:...
(2008) - Blunt Force TraumaBlunt Force Trauma (album)Blunt Force Trauma is the second studio album by Brazilian groove metal band Cavalera Conspiracy. The album was released on March 29, 2011 through Roadrunner Records.-Album information:...
(2011)
External links
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Adobe Flash is a multimedia platform used to add animation, video, and interactivity to web pages. Flash is frequently used for advertisements, games and flash animations for broadcast...
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