Max Cavalera: Metal Is Sacred, and I Won’t Let It Die
Max Cavalera is one of those musicians for whom the word "legend" is not used out of obligation, but out of genuine respect. The frontman of SOULFLY and former driving force behind SEPULTURA spoke in a new interview with Australia's The Rockpit about inspiration, creative restlessness, and why he feels that music keeps pushing him forward regardless of age or an extensive past.
An unexpected source of reflection for Max turned out to be Paul Simon. Cavalera openly admits his admiration for the albums Graceland and The Rhythm of the Saints, especially for the way Simon managed to relaunch his career at a mature age. "People thought he was long past his peak. And then Graceland came along and turned everything around," Max says. Stories like that give him confidence that even after decades in extreme metal, nothing is ever truly finished.
Cavalera is proud of everything behind him — the classic SEPULTURA records, the raw energy of SOULFLY, and projects like KILLER BE KILLED, NAILBOMB, or GO AHEAD AND DIE. At the same time, he emphasizes that the key is never to stop. "The most important thing is the chase. Trying to find something that surprises even yourself. That's the engine that never stops," he explains. He admits that writing new music is always a bit stressful, while playing live is pure joy and direct contact with the audience.
When asked whether he would ever want to head in a completely different musical direction, he answers honestly. There is no specific project yet, but the desire to try new things is there. Jamming with different musicians comes naturally to him and may be one of the reasons he has moved between bands throughout his life. "Music is pure magic. Nothing else gives me such a feeling of freedom," he adds.
He finds inspiration everywhere. Max describes himself as an eternal curious mind and jokingly says he is "a seventeen-year-old metal nerd trapped in the body of a fifty-six-year-old man." He refuses to be discouraged by the politics of the music industry or by trends outside metal. To him, this music is sacred, and he does everything he can to preserve the original enthusiasm with which he first entered it. "You never stop learning. And that's the most beautiful thing about music," he concludes.
Meanwhile, SOULFLY continue at full strength. Their thirteenth album Chama was released in autumn 2025 via Nuclear Blast and was created in a family atmosphere under the production supervision of Max's son Zyon Cavalera. The band has also completed the "Favela Dystopia" tour along the U.S. West Coast, proving that Max Cavalera definitely does not belong in a museum. He is still on the hunt — and that hunt is far from over.