Sepultura keeps up the punch in new album
Interviewed by AllBrazilianMusic, guitarist Andreas Kisser talks about their upcoming disc, Nation, and their gig at the Rock in Rio 3 festival
Tom Cardoso
14/11/2000
Sepultura’s new album is ready to go. And it is promising, too. Nation hits the stores all around the globe next March, and should probably testify for the group’s maturing moment, exactly four years after Max Cavalera’s breaking up with them. American singer Derrick Green not only substituted Max with a lot of competence, but also gave new life to Igor, Andreas and Paulo.
Produced by Steve Evetts, Nation is bound to be Sepultura’s most experimental album. A quick look on the guest list will reveal names like classical bassist Denner Campolina, the Symphonic Orchestra of Rio de Janeiro and punk poet Henry Rollins.
The resolution to record in Rio de Janeiro was good for the band, who spends most of their time abroad. Even though the atmosphere during the recording sessions was relaxed, Sepultura did not cool down when it was time to turn on the amplifiers. Derrick’s vocals are more furious than ever, now that he composes with the rest of the band. And the presence of a classical musician was not enough to soften their furious thrash metal.
Having a break in São Paulo, while awaiting for the CD to be mixed (which will be done in New York by Steven Thompson), Andreas Kisser gave this exclusive interview to AllBrazilianMusic. The guitarist talked about the endless dispute with Max Cavalera ("we ain’t going back to being friends anytime soon"), their friendship with Ratos do Porão’s vocalist, João Gordo, Sepultura’s plans for the next year and their gig at the Rock in Rio Festival.
AllBrazilianMusic – Sepultura has always enjoyed more prestige abroad than in Brazil. In spite of that, you guys are strongly attached to the country, even choosing to make the new album in Rio de Janeiro. What is missing for Sepultura to definitely conquer Brazilian audiences?
Andreas Kisser – First of all, we have always searched for inspiration in Brazil. Our musical influences are here, and so are our friends. I think that this is about the best moment to show our music. When I see a heavy band like Raimundos experiencing so much success in Brazil, I feel partly responsible for it. It is no longer odd that a hardcore band will sell 100 thousand discs here. When we started, things were harder and even today it is hard, sometimes. Managers will usually think too carefully before hiring us to perform.
ABM – Where does this bad reputation come from?
Andreas Kisser – The media has always been a bit sensationalist with us. In 1991, for example, they crucified us because of a concert in São Paulo, when somebody died after a fight that could have happened in any other situation. We have played both in Brazil and abroad to huge crowds and nothing’s ever happened. We have recently played for a crowd of 20 thousand in São Paulo and there wasn’t a single fight.
ABM – Still in 1991, there was a problem between heavy metal fans expecting to watch Sepultura and (rocker) Lobão (intensely booed for having brought samba school drummers onto the stage), during the Rock in Rio 2...
Andreas Kisser – Yeah, that didn’t do us any good. The mistake should be blamed on the organization, which booked Lobão and us on the same night...
ABM – Talking about rock in Rio, what do you think of the six major Brazilian bands who abandoned the festival, allegedly for being mistreated by the production?
Andreas Kisser – They are right. I think that an artist has to be treated according to the popularity and importance achieved. On top of that, Brazilian artists sell a lot more records than foreign ones, in Brazil.
ABM – In 1991 Sepultura was already very famous, but still you had to play during daylight and only for 30 minutes...
Andreas Kisser – We were still conquering our chunk of audience in Brazil, so we needed to cling to every chance that we had. We played with our guts, knowing that the fest would shed light on us, as it ended up happening. Today, though, things are different. We can impose conditions, if we like. But all we want is to be treated with respect and dignity.
ABM – Back to the new album, why did you choose Steve Evetts to produce it?
Andreas Kisser – We already knew his work quite well. Steve has produced a number of hardcore bands in New York (like Earth Crisis, Demolition Hammer and Snapcase). He was the right person at the right time. Everything came out perfect.
ABM – Sepultura invited musicians with different backgrounds, like bassist Denner Campolina and the rap group Pavilhão 9. Is this going to be a more experimental album?
Andreas Kisser – We have always enjoyed experimenting with music, but we are still a heavy band, we haven’t changed our style. We had worked with Denner before, and decided to call him in to play in one of the tracks. Marinho, Pavilhão’s bassist, played in the track Uma Cura and percussionist Fernando played in Saga. We also invited João Gordo to reinforce the vocals in Rise Above, a Black Flag cover, which didn’t make it to the record. We also invited Henry Rollins, and then we’ll be able to mix the disc.
ABM – João Gordo has accompanied Sepultura’s career from the very beginning and doesn’t hide his admiration for the band. Is it mutual?
Andreas Kisser – Gordo is the eternal anarchist. He turned down (major TV network) Globo’s invitation to host his own show. He even told (TV host and network owner) Silvio Santos to take it up his... over the phone (laughs).
ABM – Sepultura turned down an invitation to play along with Max Cavalera at the Ozzfest, this year. Igor has recently given an interview to the British magazine Kerrang saying that the guys in Max’s band can’t really play. Is the relationship between you and Max ever going to improve?
Andreas Kisser – We turned down the Ozzfest because we know that money is not what is going to bring us together again. The British magazine was malicious; they printed something on the cover that was taken out of context. It was a ridiculous and sensationalist article. We haven’t spoken to Max in years and we probably won’t in the near future.
ABM – How did you like Soulfly’s latest release?
Andreas Kisser - A little better than the previous one.
ABM – Is that a compliment?
Andreas Kisser – You can come to whichever conclusion you like.
Produced by Steve Evetts, Nation is bound to be Sepultura’s most experimental album. A quick look on the guest list will reveal names like classical bassist Denner Campolina, the Symphonic Orchestra of Rio de Janeiro and punk poet Henry Rollins.
The resolution to record in Rio de Janeiro was good for the band, who spends most of their time abroad. Even though the atmosphere during the recording sessions was relaxed, Sepultura did not cool down when it was time to turn on the amplifiers. Derrick’s vocals are more furious than ever, now that he composes with the rest of the band. And the presence of a classical musician was not enough to soften their furious thrash metal.
Having a break in São Paulo, while awaiting for the CD to be mixed (which will be done in New York by Steven Thompson), Andreas Kisser gave this exclusive interview to AllBrazilianMusic. The guitarist talked about the endless dispute with Max Cavalera ("we ain’t going back to being friends anytime soon"), their friendship with Ratos do Porão’s vocalist, João Gordo, Sepultura’s plans for the next year and their gig at the Rock in Rio Festival.
AllBrazilianMusic – Sepultura has always enjoyed more prestige abroad than in Brazil. In spite of that, you guys are strongly attached to the country, even choosing to make the new album in Rio de Janeiro. What is missing for Sepultura to definitely conquer Brazilian audiences?
Andreas Kisser – First of all, we have always searched for inspiration in Brazil. Our musical influences are here, and so are our friends. I think that this is about the best moment to show our music. When I see a heavy band like Raimundos experiencing so much success in Brazil, I feel partly responsible for it. It is no longer odd that a hardcore band will sell 100 thousand discs here. When we started, things were harder and even today it is hard, sometimes. Managers will usually think too carefully before hiring us to perform.
ABM – Where does this bad reputation come from?
Andreas Kisser – The media has always been a bit sensationalist with us. In 1991, for example, they crucified us because of a concert in São Paulo, when somebody died after a fight that could have happened in any other situation. We have played both in Brazil and abroad to huge crowds and nothing’s ever happened. We have recently played for a crowd of 20 thousand in São Paulo and there wasn’t a single fight.
ABM – Still in 1991, there was a problem between heavy metal fans expecting to watch Sepultura and (rocker) Lobão (intensely booed for having brought samba school drummers onto the stage), during the Rock in Rio 2...
Andreas Kisser – Yeah, that didn’t do us any good. The mistake should be blamed on the organization, which booked Lobão and us on the same night...
ABM – Talking about rock in Rio, what do you think of the six major Brazilian bands who abandoned the festival, allegedly for being mistreated by the production?
Andreas Kisser – They are right. I think that an artist has to be treated according to the popularity and importance achieved. On top of that, Brazilian artists sell a lot more records than foreign ones, in Brazil.
ABM – In 1991 Sepultura was already very famous, but still you had to play during daylight and only for 30 minutes...
Andreas Kisser – We were still conquering our chunk of audience in Brazil, so we needed to cling to every chance that we had. We played with our guts, knowing that the fest would shed light on us, as it ended up happening. Today, though, things are different. We can impose conditions, if we like. But all we want is to be treated with respect and dignity.
ABM – Back to the new album, why did you choose Steve Evetts to produce it?
Andreas Kisser – We already knew his work quite well. Steve has produced a number of hardcore bands in New York (like Earth Crisis, Demolition Hammer and Snapcase). He was the right person at the right time. Everything came out perfect.
ABM – Sepultura invited musicians with different backgrounds, like bassist Denner Campolina and the rap group Pavilhão 9. Is this going to be a more experimental album?
Andreas Kisser – We have always enjoyed experimenting with music, but we are still a heavy band, we haven’t changed our style. We had worked with Denner before, and decided to call him in to play in one of the tracks. Marinho, Pavilhão’s bassist, played in the track Uma Cura and percussionist Fernando played in Saga. We also invited João Gordo to reinforce the vocals in Rise Above, a Black Flag cover, which didn’t make it to the record. We also invited Henry Rollins, and then we’ll be able to mix the disc.
ABM – João Gordo has accompanied Sepultura’s career from the very beginning and doesn’t hide his admiration for the band. Is it mutual?
Andreas Kisser – Gordo is the eternal anarchist. He turned down (major TV network) Globo’s invitation to host his own show. He even told (TV host and network owner) Silvio Santos to take it up his... over the phone (laughs).
ABM – Sepultura turned down an invitation to play along with Max Cavalera at the Ozzfest, this year. Igor has recently given an interview to the British magazine Kerrang saying that the guys in Max’s band can’t really play. Is the relationship between you and Max ever going to improve?
Andreas Kisser – We turned down the Ozzfest because we know that money is not what is going to bring us together again. The British magazine was malicious; they printed something on the cover that was taken out of context. It was a ridiculous and sensationalist article. We haven’t spoken to Max in years and we probably won’t in the near future.
ABM – How did you like Soulfly’s latest release?
Andreas Kisser - A little better than the previous one.
ABM – Is that a compliment?
Andreas Kisser – You can come to whichever conclusion you like.