Author: planetsixstring

In a new interview with the “Rez Metal” podcast, SOULFLY frontman Max Cavalera spoke about the band’s upcoming follow-up to 2018’s “Ritual” album, tentatively due in July. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “I’m in a really good state of mind musically right now. I’m very inspired. I think in general the underground movement is really bursting right now with a lot of great bands. There’s a lot of really killer metal being done. And I’m really in contact and involved with a lot of these bands. And I think that kind of motivated me to work on this new SOULFLY record.

“It was created a little bit different,” he continued. “The majority was just me and my son Zyon [Cavalera, SOULFLY drummer] playing together, so we kind of wrote the bulk of the material. And then I had a great producer friend, Arthur Rizk; he worked with POWER TRIP and CODE ORANGE. Arthur is great, man. And I was curious how Arthur would make a SOULFLY record sound if he was in charge [of] it. And we created something that, to me, feels kind of like… It’s almost like a biography of Max music. We cover everything from the early days all the way… So there’s some black metal things, there’s some death and thrash, there’s some groove metal — there’s everything. So the record really goes deep into all different areas of metal. So because of that, the album feels very diverse. At the end of the day, I just wanted to make a solid, full-on attitude record that just says, ‘We’re here to fuck shit up.’ This is what we do. This is why I love playing metal, because of the energy it gives me.

“The record is actually really connected to nature, which is really cool,” Max explained. “I think this is the mostly SOULFLY record that is really about the whole mystique of nature, as in forest spirits and spirit animals and things like that. So that was cool.

“We worked a lot on a lot of the tracks. And I think Arthur did just an amazing job.

“I don’t wanna describe the record too much — I’d rather have people hear it and see what they think — but to me, it feels like this is just a really, really energetic SOULFLY record,” Cavalera added. “It’s kind of cool to have that kind of… After so many records, if you can still put an energetic record out, it says something about your career; you’re not slowing down — you’re going, actually, the opposite way. So I’m more in the trenches than ever with this one. It feels like [I’ve been] rejuvenated; I feel like a young kid again playing metal. Those are great elements to have. Especially when you’re getting older, a lot of people go more mild and slow down. I’m not one of those people. I wanna just get even more wild, get heavier. But always with the SOULFLY groove, ’cause I think that’s a key element of SOULFLY; it’s always been the groove. So we pay really close attention to the… We actually added a lot of percussion to it, so it kind of goes back to records like ‘Primitive’; some of the grooves go back to songs like ‘Primitive’ and ‘Boom’, but some of the other stuff is super aggressive and it’s like a lot of the current extreme metal that I listen to right now from a lot of other bands.”

Asked if he has any guests appearing on the new SOULFLY album, Max said: “I do, but I wanna keep it a secret, man. He’s a cool guy. I’ll tell you — he’s a very old-school metalhead. That’s as much as I can say. But I think people are gonna really dig it.”

Last month, Max was asked by Sofa King Cool Magazine who played guitar on the band’s upcoming LP. He responded: “We’re keeping that kind of a secret right now. But, yeah, there’s definitely different people. And I’m very excited. We already played two songs on the tour. We played a song called ‘Filth Upon Filth’ and we played a song called ‘Superstition’, which is not a cover song; it’s an original song. It just has the same name as the other song ‘Superstition’, but it’s an original. We played it, and it was great — a great reaction from the fans. So I think they’re gonna dig the new record. We’re just waiting a little bit to start releasing the songs. I think they’re gonna start coming now in April. We’re gonna start putting them out on Spotify and Apple Music and [SiriusXM’s] Liquid Metal. But I’m very excited for the record, for sure, and I hope we get to get a good tour out of that when that comes out, probably in the summer.”

Fan-filmed video footage of SOULFLY performing “Superstition” and “Filth Upon Filth” on February 14 at Cornerstone in Berkeley, California can be seen below.

SOULFLY previously played “Filth Upon Filth” on its summer 2021 U.S. tour.

Last summer, Cavalera told “The Metal Teddy Bear Experience” show, which airs on the 90.3 WMSC radio station, that “Filth Upon Filth” was “a killer song” which reminded him of “old SLAYER; it sounds like SLAYER ‘Hell Awaits’ era meets SOULFLY, which is always a good thing,” he said.

Asked if there is an overall lyrical theme on the new SOULFLY album, Max said: “Some of it [is] dealing with, actually, the spiritual world and things like that, which is really cool. I think it’s always been kind of a SOULFLY theme anyway. There’s a song called ‘Spirit Animal’ that’s really cool. And there’s gonna be a couple of guests. I’m not gonna say who they are right now; I don’t wanna spoil the surprise. But, again, there’s gonna be some special guests singing on this record.

“[There isn’t gonna be] an overall theme,” he clarified. “It’s not gonna be a theme album like maybe [SEPULTURA’s] ‘Roots’ was more like a tribal theme kind of record. This is more like a [mixture of subjects]. There’s a song about the environment and how we’re destroying the earth and all that, called ‘The Damage Done’. And that came out really good. So, yeah, [it’s] just my way of writing. It’s pretty simple. I don’t try to get fancy with it. I know what I do. It’s like my riffs — I know how to do them. I don’t try to fancy them up. That’s how they are — they’re simple but direct, and they work. And that’s what I love about it.”

Last April, Max told Chris Enriquez of Saint Vitus Presents: Age Of Quarantine that Rizk took the new SOULFLY project “super seriously. He said, ‘Hey, Max, I don’t wanna do just another SOULFLY record. I wanna do the best SOULFLY record,'” he recalled. ‘I was, like, ‘All right. I take the challenge. Let’s do it, man.'”

As for the musical direction of the new SOULFLY material, Max said: “It’s full-on. I think it’s got kind of like the best of all the years. I think it’s a compilation Max Cavalera record of the whole 50 years. [Laughs] That’s what it feels like — it’s got old stuff, it’s got middle stuff, it’s got very SOULFLY vibes. It’s got a lot of groove. It’s got a lot of fast stuff.”

In December 2020, Max told the “Sappenin’ Podcast With Sean Smith” about the songwriting process for the new SOULFLY album: “The cool thing about Zyon, the way he plays drums, is he’s a bit like a wild animal — he has no restraint, man, and he just unleashes on the drum kit. Pure, pure brutality power drumming, and I love that. So that takes me back to a lot of the early records that I like — a lot of the old ENTOMBED stuff and CARCASS and NAPALM DEATH; out-of-control shit. So I think we have that kind of spirit going on on a lot of the new tracks.”

In August, SOULFLY parted ways with longtime guitarist Marc Rizzo due to personal differences. A permanent replacement guitarist has yet to be announced. FEAR FACTORY’s Dino Cazares played guitar for SOULFLY on the summer 2021 U.S. tour and once again handled second-guitar duties on the band’s most recent run of shows.

In June 2020, SOULFLY released a new digital EP, “Live Ritual NYC MMXIX”. The effort was recorded at The Gramercy in New York City on February 11, 2019 while SOULFLY was on tour in support of its most recent full-length album, “Ritual”. The audio for the EP was mixed and mastered by Charles Elliott (ABYSMAL DAWN) from Tastemaker Audio. Cover artwork was comprised of live photos taken by Rodrigo Fredes.

“Ritual” was released in October 2018 via Nuclear Blast. The follow-up to 2015’s “Archangel” was produced, recorded and mixed by Josh Wilbur (KILLER BE KILLED, LAMB OF GOD, GOJIRA).

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Old-school American craft envelope-pushers, Rogue return with the more traditionally balanced double IPA Colossal Claude.
The post No Corporate Beer Reviews: Colossal Claude appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

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British heavy metal legenda JUDAS PRIEST have canceled tonight’s (Monday, April 4) concert at Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell in Lowell, Massachusetts due to a non-COVID-19-related illness. All tickets will be automatically refunded automatically via credit card. If tickets were purchased with cash at the box office, please visit the Tsongas Center box office for a full refund.

Says JUDAS PRIEST in a statement: “We hope to be able to make show up in the near future.”

Fans who attended JUDAS PRIEST’s concert on Saturday (April 2) at the Premier Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut have reported that PRIEST singer Rob Halford seemed to be feeling sick during the show, as evidenced in some of the fan-filmed video clips which have since surfaced online (see below).

PRIEST’s current North American tour kicked off on March 4 at Peoria Civic Center in Peoria, Illinois and is scheduled to conclude on April 13 at FirstOntario Centre in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Support on the trek is coming from QUEENSRŸCHE.

Halford recently publicly revealed that he battled prostate cancer during the pandemic. He previously mentioned his cancer battle in the new chapter added to the updated paperback edition of his autobiography, “Confess”. In “Confess”, Halford revealed that he was diagnosed with cancer after experiencing symptoms for at least a couple of years.

In July 2020, Rob underwent prostatectomy, an operation where the entire prostate gland is removed plus some of the tissue around it, including the seminal vesicles. After more cancer was found last year, he went through radiation treatments in April and May 2021 and eventually got then all-clear in June 2021. He also had an appendectomy after a tumor was discovered on his appendix.

PRIEST guitarist Richie Faulkner suffered an acute cardiac aortic dissection during the band’s performance at the Louder Than Life festival in late September. Faulkner was rushed to the UofL Health – Jewish Hospital where the cardiothoracic surgery team needed approximately 10 hours to complete a life-saving surgery.

PRIEST guitarist Glenn Tipton was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease eight years ago after being stricken by the condition at least half a decade earlier. Tipton announced in early 2018 he was going to sit out touring activities in support of “Firepower”. He was replaced by “Firepower” producer Andy Sneap, who is also known for his work in NWOBHM revivalists HELL and cult thrash outfit SABBAT.

SHOW CANCELLED APRIL 4
It is with regret we announce that unfortunately tonight’s show at Paul E Tsongas Arena, Lowell, MA is being cancelled due to non-covid related illness. We hope to be able to make this show up in the near future. Refunds available at point of purchase pic.twitter.com/7Hxj37ekTU

— Judas Priest (@judaspriest) April 4, 2022

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SEPULTURA drummer Eloy Casagrande will miss the remainder of the band’s North American tour after breaking his right leg in a stage accident.

Earlier today, the 31-year-old Brazilian musician took to his Instagram to share X-ray photos of his fractured tibia and fibula bones, and he included the following message: “It is with deep sadness that I announce that I have unfortunately broken my right leg. Yesterday, at the El Paso show, during the break between songs I ended up falling off the stage and fracturing my tibia and fibula. I’m going back to Brazil to start the recovery. I’ll see you soon! The tour will continue, but without me. More news coming soon. I ask for your support.”

SEPULTURA’s “North American Quadra” 2022 tour with SACRED REICH and CROWBAR kicked off on March 4 in Sacramento and is set to conclude on April 8 in Berkeley, California. SEPULTURA also has a six-date tour of Mexico scheduled for April 12-17.

This is not the first health issue that has plagued the “North American Quadra” 2022 tour. Last month, SACRED REICH was forced to cancel more than half dozen shows on the trek due to frontman Phil Rind’s “ongoing respiratory illness.”

Last summer, guitarist Andreas Kisser spoke to France’s Loud TV about how Casagrande’s addition to has affected SEPULTURA’s sound.

“We’re very lucky to have such great musicians here in Brazil, especially in drumming,” he said. “We have great drummers and percussionists. You see [Carlos] Santana and all those great names, Paul Simon and stuff, always using some Brazilian here and there regarding the drum world. And Eloy started playing drums very early. He was made for SEPULTURA, man. I mean, he played in some other bands and stuff, but here with SEPULTURA, he’s really exploding; he’s really free to express himself the way he wants to, and SEPULTURA’s music really provides that. And in exchange, he gave me especially to write many new possibilities. I think ‘Machine Messiah’ and ‘Quadra’ are the consequence of that interaction we have, which is great. It’s so inspiring. It’s fantastic.

“We are kind of always writing,” he continued. “Sometimes he sends me some drum loops and I send him some riffs and stuff, and it’s really cool that we build stuff from there. And he’s a very professional guy — the best drummer in the world; at least for SEPULTURA he’s the best. [Laughs]”

In February 2020, SEPULTURA singer Derrick Green told Australia’s Everblack Media that Casagrande has had “a tremendous impact” on the group since he joined in 2011. “It’s undeniable because he’s such a strong force,” he said. “He loves playing metal music. He’s one of the most talented drummers I’ve ever seen, honestly. That power is consistent from beginning to the end. It really has rubbed off on all of us to really push ourselves further. He’s such a perfect match for the band. He really is always influencing us in so many ways to really go beyond — above and beyond.”

In 2019, Eloy told Drumtalk that he didn’t care about the long-simmering feud between founding SEPULTURA members Max and Igor Cavalera and his current bandmates. “I respect all the history,” he said. “I have total respect for the past drummers, Igor and Jean [Dolabella]. They are amazing guys, incredible guys, but we just live in the present. I really don’t care what happened, what didn’t happen. I respect all the music. I respect their music nowadays. It’s just that we have to follow our path and that’s it.”

Casagrande joined SEPULTURA 10 years ago as the replacement for Dolabella.

SEPULTURA’s latest album, “Quadra”, was released in February 2020 via Nuclear Blast. The LP was created at Sweden’s Fascination Street Studios with renowned producer Jens Bogren.

SEPULTURA comprises Green, Kisser, bassist Paulo Xisto Pinto Jr. and Casagrande.

Just posted a photo https://t.co/dBzqvOTdld
— Eloy Casagrande (@eloycasagrandee) April 4, 2022

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Before his voice fills stadiums during AFI’s upcoming “Bodies” tour, Davey Havok is speaking out about the cruel forced swim test in a new PETA campaign video released on World Rat Day (April 4). With a rat named Wee Man perched on his shoulder, the singer explains how small animals are dropped into inescapable beakers of water where they swim desperately, trying not to drown in the “behavioral despair test” — which pharmaceutical companies like Eli Lilly have used to screen antidepressant drugs.

“Is that depression that you’re measuring?” the musician asks in the video. “No. It’s fear. It’s trauma. It’s fight or flight. … Nothing is gained from that except their suffering. And no animals deserve that. No animals deserve to be treated like that.”

PETA and Havok are urging Eli Lilly to ban the forced swim test, which studies have shown to be notoriously inaccurate. The company has tormented a total of 3,400 mice and rats in this test since 1993, and after nearly 30 years, none of the drugs it has attempted to develop using this test are on the market.

In addition to pushing for modern, animal-free testing methods, Havok advocates against speciesism — the false notion that humans are superior to other species, who are nothing more than commodities to use and abuse at will. Playing with Wee Man, he adds, “All life has value, and it’s not our place to choose which life is more valuable than another … Rats do not deserve to suffer. Just like your dog or your cat, they feel pain and they feel joy. And they give and receive love — just like this little guy right here.”

Havok is part of a growing list of celebrities — including Paul McCartney, Iggy Pop, Dave Navarro, Nikki Sixx and RZA — who’ve teamed up with PETA to promote its motto, which reads, “Animals are not ours to experiment on, eat, wear, use for entertainment, or abuse in any other way.”

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