MAX CAVALERA : SEARCH AND DOWNSTROY

-MC : It’s something new, even if I half produced the previous LP ; instead, it’s Max’s vision instead of somebody else’s vision : most of the songs are more « soulfly-oriented » ! There’s less guests appearance and it was a new experience! It was a real headache, but now it's done, I can move on!

-Do you think you’ll do it again ?

-MC : I really don’t know : maybe next time it'll be four producers, instead of one !

-Do you intend to issue a DVD will your videos and live stuff ?

-MC : Maybe later, but we did this video to put it on our web site, so that people can see it : that’s my idea of a punk rock video ! We don’t have the obligation to do an MTV video with MTV producer, with make up and everybody looking cute ; in fact, it’s the opposite, I want to break guitars in it…

-On your new album, there are some guests again...

-MC : We have Christian from Ill Nino on track #4, a friend from a hardcore band, he looks like a real Mafia guy and he's great in the studio. On track #7, there's Asha, a black girl with a very soulful voice and my son Richie, on ‘Bleed’, this time he sings on the record.

-And Chino Moreno ?

-MC : No, not this time, we’re good friends but he has no obligation to be on every record : he’s been on the first and second record, we’re really cool together, and we always have pleasure to play some songs live together...

-What is more important for you : spirituality or ideology ?

-MC : For Soulfly, its the feeling ; I don’t use in studio what many people use, like pro-tools : I like analog, it takes more time, but you get a good feeling, like with the old Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, AC/DC and Ramones, the energy is captured on tape, rather than having a predictable recording.

-You’ve been living in the USA for many years now : Marilyn Manson and Casey Chaos both said that they wouldn’t like to live anywhere else, because it’s so much inspiration for them in the deep shit there...What your opinion about it ?

-MC : Not for me, not for my music : I like where I live because it’s in a desert, like Jim Morrison, away from everything. I need that kind of distance. After the long tours, I like to go to the desert ; my house is on Indian land, and I believe there’s a kind of spiritual force there and I’m very aware of many things : I live in America but I don’t.

-And about September 11th ?

-MC : I think what happened really sucks because we fly all the time and it proves it’s not safe anymore. On a human level, I think of the people being on that plane and in the buildings. I had a minute of silence as a tribute to the victims. For the rest of the album I wanted to do my thing as usual, the tribal ideas, the hardcore stuff

-What do you reproach to the rock system ?

-MC : Mainly when I was in Sepultura, we made this song, ‘Control’, about Epic records and our bad experience with them. I like to do it with songs, it’s a better message, more direct

-Recently, you remixed one title for RZA, from Wu Tang Clan : how was it and it it the beginning of a remixer career for you ?

-MC : This guy is crazy, but crazy in a good way ! I expected the whole song and he just sent his voice so I had to recreate the whole song for him ; we hooked up with ideas and stuff we had for this record with drum machines etc, we made something really heavy and I sing on the track, I put some ‘Max screams’. I guess people will be quite surprised, I don’t know when it comes out.

-What do you think about the MP3 on Internet ?

-MC : I understand people who want to have the tracks, but I think it's a bit unfair to the artists, because it’s very hard and expensive to make a record, and nobody gives you a free car or a free house, but you can get free music and that’s very strange. Even though I think it affects us in that we might sell less records, I don't know how to evaluate the impact. My attitude is just to keep on doing music, see how things evolve and maybe we can create a new form. I hope people still like to have the CD with the whole artwork, it’s like a ritual, even if it was more so in the past with the vinyl, which you could sniff and look inside ! The CD is smaller so it’s not that exciting, but exciting anyway : you go to the record shop, you get the record which strikes you, you open it and the artwork jumps at you and then you play it, I like that : going on the Internet and just clicking to have a song is too fast, there's no magic anymore.

-Do you use the website of the band as an important tool for Soulfly ?

-MC : I go from time to time because I don’t have one myself, but when I was in studio, I went to the Greek tribe website. I said hi and the guy was totally amazed. But yes, I think it’s important and we have really cool designs.

I like the idea that fans can create sites themselves, it's like having your own fanzine. I think that it’s definitely cool, very supportive.

-And would you consider to perform special gigs for your website ?

-MC : Yes, we’re gonna do something, sometimes we could film some concerts and broadcast them live, I have some ideas, but after the album comes out.

-When will we see you live in France ?

-MC : We’ll have a show in Paris in July and a festival in Belfort, which is great : I already did it with Sepultura and it’s one the greatest festivals I remember with all that awesome crowd ; with the album, heavier, more energetic, it's going to bring the shit. We'll also do other festivals in Europe, like Dynamo.

-After all those years in music, how do you see your own career through different bands : are you satisfied with its evolution, do you have regrets ?

-MC : I try very hard to keep Soulfly interesting all the time, so I torment everybody in my house with music and I thank them for putting up with me, but I don’t regret anything : I have good memories of Sepultura and Nailbomb and now with Soulfly and I keep doing what I love : music !

Jean Paul Coillard

(press conference organized in Paris on May 21st 2002)

"3", the LP, is out at the end of june on Roadrunner records.

Visit Soulfly's official site : Soulfly tribe

Thanks to Karine and Benoit for their help.