Former Sepultura drummer Igor Cavalera discussed Western metal music and the Brazilian black metal scene in a recent interview with WCN Podcast.
“Even for us explaining the first wave of black metal that we had in Brazil, it wasn’t really about worshiping Satan, but it was about attacking the church, which has a huge difference for us,” Cavalera said. “It was way more political because the church is controlling everything in South America. They’re involved in politics as we all know.”
“Musically, it [black metal] was an extreme form of showing how we wanted to rebel,” he continued. “And then, of course, like metal by being one of the styles that we liked the ideas, but we didn’t like how metal was made in Europe or in America. ‘Cuz it was too polished and they were talking about dragons and castles. And we’re like, ‘That’s not our reality.'”
Cavalera’s comments highlight the distinct path of Brazilian metal compared to its Western counterparts.
Documentation from historical records reveals Igor Cavalera’s unique drumming style. He drew inspiration from drummers like Roger Taylor and Dave Lombardo. His incorporation of tribal elements distinguished Sepultura from traditional Western metal bands.
The Cavalera brothers established Sepultura in 1984 in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, as noted by CBS News. The band initially found inspiration in traditional metal acts like Black Sabbath. They soon developed their distinctive sound.
The band’s sound evolved as they explored extreme genres like thrash and death metal. They drew inspiration from bands like Venom and Kreator. However, they remained committed to music that reflected their local environment and political climate.
This artistic direction led to groundbreaking albums like ‘Chaos A.D.’ and ‘Roots.’ Cavalera’s tribal-influenced drumming on these records challenged Western metal’s polished production standards. The sound remained authentically rooted in Brazilian culture.
