SEPULTURA
WHY STOP NOW?
Sepultura are hanging up their spurs, but not before we force Derrick Green and Andreas Kisser to answer your questions
WORDS: PERRAN HELYES • PICTURES: EDU DEFFERRARI
SEPULTURA’S CAREER HAS been full of incredible achievements. The band that helped put Brazilian metal on the map –and then paved the way for the sounds of global metal when they recorded with the Xavante tribe on 1996’s Roots –they remained a crucial force even following the departure of founders Max and Iggor Cavalera, with the likes of 2006’s conceptual Dante XXI and latest album Quadra (2020) proving they could still produce top-tier material.
But last year, they announced plans to call it a day. Drummer Eloy Casagrande left in February (later resurfacing in Slipknot), while the band recruited Greyson Nekrutman, formerly of Suicidal Tendencies, and embarked on a worldwide farewell tour the following month. We took your questions to vocalist Derrick Green and guitarist Andreas Kisser, as they reflect on the end of a 40-year journey.
Why stop now, when the band are arguably at the top of their game?
Sim Hardisty, Facebook
Andreas: “You’ve said the answer! Quadra is an amazing album and why wait for something to happen outside of our control to finish the band? My personal experience with my wife dying from cancer two years ago has given life a different meaning to me, too. We close out cycles in our life every day and it is a privilege to do that consciously. Being in a band you feel a lot of pressures, and sometimes it makes no sense artistically speaking. We do not want to be slaves to our avatars.”