IGOR CAVALERA: Touring With CAVALERA CONSPIRACY Is 'Better Than The Old Days'

Liz Wise of UnRated magazine recently conducted an interview with Max and Igor Cavalera of CAVALERA CONSPIRACY. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow.

UnRated: "Inflikted" came out about the end of March. You guys have been touring Europe and now you're touring the U.S. How has the crowd's response been?

Max: Killer. They've been as excited for the new "Inflikted" stuff as much as the SEPULTURA and NAILBOMB stuff. Far more excited than we thought.

Igor: We've even talked before, Max and I, on how surprising it is that most of the kids are getting into the songs from "Inflikted". It almost sounds like they've known the songs forever. And it's the same response we are getting from songs like "Territory" or "Troops of Doom". So for me and Max to see that, that was very surprising because usually it takes a little longer for new songs to become something that kids sing to and relate to but on this tour. Not only in Europe but also in America. The crowds have been great and it's really amazing because the last few years there's been all this talk that metal or hardcore are not doing so well. We're proving that wrong in a way. There are a lot of kids that are coming to shows and enjoying themselves.

UnRated: Do you think the response has been so good because you're both already established in the metal scene?

Max: I don't know because we've seen a good variety every night. Like every night there is a mosh pit, more so in America than in Europe. Then you get really fanatic fans in the front — the ones that know the lyrics better than me — I sometimes have to look at them to remember the lyrics. Then you get curiosity in the back and the balcony. They are also very different in age, the really young, middle, and older people.

Igor: Yeah, it's crazy. As Max was saying, in the front you get those fanatical people, that no matter what, once they see the show and it begins, they want to be right there, in front of Max and me. And just a few meters back there is the crazy mosh pit. I wouldn't dare to go there! In a couple cities I thought I was very glad not to be out there.

UnRated: So how has it been touring together again? Does it feel like the old SEPULTURA days or are things maybe better? Have you been having more fun?

Igor: For me, it doesn't feel like the old days, it feels like you say, better than the old days. I think we've grown up more as people and as musicians. We've been through it all, through everything, the good and bad. So I know for me that when I step on stage, I'm just so happy to be on stage playing. Before I never paid attention to that, all I cared about was if it was crowded — a lot of people were there. Today I'm paying attention to every little detail including how satisfying it is to be playing.

Max: I think I've only been mad twice on this tour. They were both recently. In Canada I wanted to stage dive really bad and couldn't feel a way out to do it. I felt like a loser at the end of the show because I should have just dived in even if I got hurt. And then the last show we did, my amp was fucking up the whole time. I've been talking to my roadie about that and even though I like my roadie, I'll get mad at him because he smokes a lot of pot. In general I get mad a lot more often so it's been a very good tour. The shows have all been different and the other bands are killer. We're going to be doing more touring though through the States because a lot of people have been complaining that we didn't come play by them.

Igor: The response has been so good that we could do another tour here but we're also going to tour other places like South America, especially Brazil. I live there, if we didn't play there I would get beat up at some point! That's one of the places in the whole world that people embrace me and Max more than anywhere else. They're going to be so happy to see us together because they've had to follow us separately, like Max in SOULFLY and me with whatever I was doing. So this combo is going to be crazy. I can't wait.

Read the entire interview from UnRated magazine.