Sepultura have the kind of origins that one would never believe if it wasn’t true. The band were formed by the brothers Max and Igor Cavalera, sons of a well to do Italian diplomat whose tragic death left his family in financial ruin. However, the very same day that his father died, Max heard Black Sabbath Vol. 4 for the first time. The combination of events sparked an obsession with heavy metal and both brothers conspired to form a band soon after that.
They settled on the name Sepultura, the Portuguese word for “grave”, when Max translated the lyrics to the Motörhead song “Dancing On Your Grave”. However, the final and most crucial influence that the brothers discovered was Newcastle’s very own Venom, considered by many to be the worlds first black metal band. By 1984, both brothers dropped out of school to make the band work, and were signed to Cogumelo Records by 1985.
1986 saw the release of their debut album “Morbid Visions”, whose song “Troops Of Doom” gained the band national attention. The band relocated to the larger city of São Paulo to capitalise and the follow up album, 1987’s “Schizophrenia” did just that. It was the first record to make a name for the band in the United Kingdom and the States due to the radio play it received and critical notices it was getting in the metal press.
Crucially, it secured the band a deal with metal titans Roadrunner Records without the label ever seeing them perform live. Everything was set up in the bands favour, and with 1989’s “Beneath The Remains”, they knocked it out of the park. It was immediately hailed as a classic to rival Slayer’s “Reign In Blood” L.P and was the ticket they needed for their first shows outside of South America. Inside of South America they were massive on a barely comprehendible scale, their set at the 1991 Rock In Rio Festival attracted a reported 100’000 spectators.
After that, the band had a creative run of three albums that most bands in general, let alone metal bands, haven’t been able to touch before or since. “Arise”, “Chaos A.D” and “Roots” were all massively critically acclaimed and sold buckets but, as with all good things, it had to come to an end. Max Cavalera left the band in 1997 with some seriously bad blood left between him and the rest of the band and while the band have continued without him, they’ve never quite reached the acclaim they had while he was still in their ranks. Then again, few bands ever reach that level of acclaim so it’s unfair to compare.
The band are still an unmissable live act, with tracks like “Refuse/Resist”, “Arise” and “Roots Bloody Roots” still able to cause as ungodly a ruckus as they were always able to. Any metal fan would do well to catch them the next chance they get.
Every time I see Sepultura it’s like being pleasantly kicked to death in the best possible way. The Brazilian Godfathers of Thrash bring it and bring it hard every single time.
Last night’s show was no exception. Starting off with the classic Troops of Doom, the show started in high gear and just got crazier from there. Full of favorites both old and new, the boys were in rare form and we all rocked all night. Unlike so many of today’s weaksauce metal bands, Sepultura needs no crazy sets or fancy costumes; you can tell these are hardworking passionate musicians who are there to get the job done. And what a job it was! Right up in the pit at the front of the stage is where I stayed.
The crowd last night was a fantastic one. They were hardcore but still friendly. Well, as friendly as you can be while slamming into someone else at high speed. Very considerate for all that, no one got trampled and there were always hands waiting to help you up if you fell. My one beef was with the venue. It seemed to me that the air conditioning was turn up too high. I mean, sure, you are going to sweat your face off when moshing but with a show like this, they should really crank the temperature down some. All in all, a great show, as usual with Sepultura.
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