Former Sepultura drummer Igor Cavalera discussed Black Sabbath’s Bill Ward’s influence on his musical style in an interview with Modern Drummer Official.
Cavalera highlighted his primary drum inspiration and described Ward’s significant impact on his approach to percussion and metal drumming.
“My main drum hero has always been Bill Ward from [Black] Sabbath… He’s my man,” Cavalera said. “I have many drum heroes, but if I have to pick one person that defines for me all those things that I’m talking about — being creative in a studio, performing live with such energy — [it is Bill]… I got to see him many times live, and I have one of his bandanas that he gave it to me after he performed with Sabbath.”
Cavalera continued to express his admiration for Ward’s innovative approach to percussion in metal music.
“So I keep that as a treasure for all my life. I had the pleasure to watch him play towards the end of his career, of course, and he’s just such a creative force. He was doing things that inspire us as Brazilians, like doing congas, doing overdubs with percussion with Sabbath,” he explained.
Cavalera then addressed his own legacy in metal drumming while acknowledging Ward’s pioneering influence.
“People say, like, ‘Oh, you pretty much created this whole tribal thing [mixed with metal],’ and I’m, like, ‘No, there’s many other people doing things that led me to that path,’ and Bill Ward is definitely one of those guys. He was super open minded. You can hear heavy, you can hear jazz, you can hear Latin things with him. So he’s my man.”
Ward’s influence on metal drumming reaches beyond his work with Black Sabbath. He established a foundation for future generations of drummers.
Research from biographical sources reveals Ward’s technical mastery in iconic tracks like “Iron Man” and “War Pigs.” These performances helped establish him as one of rock music’s most innovative drummers. His versatility in mixing diverse musical elements created a blueprint for future metal drummers.
Ward’s experimental approach to percussion directly shaped Sepultura’s signature sound. His ability to blend different musical styles, from jazz to Latin rhythms, created a path for the tribal metal sound that Sepultura later mastered.
Ward’s innovative style and Cavalera’s drumming in Sepultura showcase how musical influences cross geographical and cultural boundaries. Documentation from Kerrang shows how Ward’s integration of diverse rhythmic elements into heavy metal opened new possibilities for future metal drummers.
Cavalera’s journey in combining heavy metal with Latin rhythms and tribal percussion follows Ward’s groundbreaking path. This connection demonstrates how one drummer’s innovative approach can transform an entire genre.
