GOJIRA Frontman Talks About His Involvement With CAVALERA CONSPIRACY

October 9, 2007

During the 11th annual D-Low Memorial Show on August 31 — the first live performance from CAVALERA CONSPIRACY (featuring SEPULTURA founding members Max and Igor Cavalera) — the Soulfly Web team was able to sit down and conduct interviews with all the members of CAVALERA CONSPIRACY about their upcoming debut album.

Except for a few small notes left on GOJIRA's web site, the band's axeman/vocalist Joe Duplantier has been relatively quiet about his contributions to CAVALERA CONSPIRACY, which also features SOULFLY axeman Marc Rizzo. Joe's first interview as the bassist for CAVALERA CONSPIRACY is available exclusively at the SOULFLY MySpace as the third installment in Soulfly Web's ongoing D-Low 2007 interview series. A couple of excerpts follow:

Soulfly Web: How did you get involved with CAVALERA CONSPIRACY?

Joe Duplantier: They called our bass player [and said], "We need a bass player who can sing". So, they asked him to do it; he couldn't but he was very honored and very happy with his family. Plus GOJIRA had a lot of touring, so he was exhausted, but since it was a personal reason, I told him "Hey, I can do it!" I grabbed my phone and called Gloria [Cavalera], and she said, "Yeah, that's fine, and you could add backup vocals on the record and stuff." So I jumped on the plane, and soon I was in L.A. recording for the album.

Soulfly Web: Did you get to write any lyrics for your parts in the album?

Joe Duplantier: I'm not very involved in the vocals. I'm just singing two parts. Max did the writing, so I just sent him some parts. And actually, I went to L.A. to record the basses and some guitars, but when I went back home, he sent me the files to add some vocals.

Soulfly Web: Would you say that your music that you've made with GOJIRA has similarities to Max and Igor's stuff together, whether it's lyrically or musically?

Joe Duplantier: Yes, definitely. I'm inspired by these guys. Max and Igor are the old SEPULTURA. Everyone that I know is shocked by this reunion and my experience. Everything they did was so inspiring. I remember the first GOJIRA show was 80% SEPULTURA covers; now I'm on stage with them.

Soulfly Web: With a first show like that, I'm assuming you never thought you'd be recording an album with them?

Soulfly Web: For the CAVALERA CONSPIRACY album, Max has said that he sent you guys some demos a month before you went to L.A. to give everyone a chance to think of the things that they personally want to do on it. How did the style that you've developed with GOJIRA translate that into some of CAVALERA CONSPIRACY's music? What influences did you bring to the project that Max, Igor, or Marc Rizzo might not have?

Joe Duplantier: He sent me a CD with about two or three riffs for each song; just rough ideas and demos. He had this one song that was totally composed. It's the first song we're going to play tonight [at D-Low 2007] called "Inflikted", but was the only song really composed. For everything else, we had to build the whole thing. Marc, Max and I were working together on our parts even while we were recording. We'd write it in the morning, and we'd record it in the afternoon. I never did that before that recording session, but it was a good experience. Usually my band works on 10 songs or so, then rehearses and rehearses, then changes some things, then writes the lyrics, and then we go into the studio. On that project it was so spontaneous, and I never did that before. "Okay! It sounds great! Okay! Let's record it!" and it was really, like that. I brought my energy and my input to some parts, though. There is one song that I composed with Max; I wrote the guitar riffs, and recorded guitars on that song. It's a song that I was playing with my brother in GOJIRA, but I gave it to these guys and Max added some other riffs. So, on that song in particular I'm much more involved.

Read the entire interview at this location (free registration may be required).

Watch fan-filmed video footage of CAVALERA CONSPIRACY — Max and Igor Cavalera along with Marc Rizzo and GOJIRA's Joe Duplantier — performing the song "Inflikted" at the 11th annual D-Low Memorial concert on August 31, 2007 at the Marquee Theatre in Tempe, Arizona:

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