MAX AND RICHIE CAVALERA KEEP METAL IN THE FAMILY
Our friends at KERRANG! had a little HEAVY father-son chat with Soulfly’s Max Cavalera and Incite’s Richie Cavalera about true metal family.
READ FULL ARTICLE VIA KERRANG! HERE
Maybe the most fascinating thing about seeing Max and Richie Cavalera together is how much they smile. Not because they’re members of two of metal’s most furious bands on the planet — Max is of course frontman for the aggressive Soulfly and the former leader of Brazilian thrashers Sepultura, while Richie sings and plays guitar in crushing American metal act Incite — but because they’re related. For many, spending over a month and change on the road with their family may sound like some sort of punishment described in Dante’s Inferno. But the Cavaleras have made it a point to keep family close, even during the grueling undertaking that is a heavy metal tour.
“We’ve been doing it for so long, it’s a natural thing,” says Max, perched at the edge of a couch backstage at the Gramercy Theater before the New York City stop on Soulfly’s U.S. tour. “It’s second nature. I’ve worked with Gloria [Cavalera, Max’s wife and Richie’s mother] forever, and she’s always on tour. Now we have Zyon [Cavalera, Max’s other son] on drums, and even when Richie’s not touring with us with Incite, he’s doing merch.”
The Cavalera’s attitudes are almost the opposite of how one might imagine them — Max, the metal veteran, beams excitedly and wears a long-sleeve Dark Funeral shirt, while Richie, the up-and-comer nods along with the chill regard of a road lifer. It’s as though being around each other has given the guys each a spark of necessary inspiration. Through Richie, Max can feel the excitement of touring from the point of view of a young band coming into their own. Meanwhile, Richie has taken from Max and sense of laid-back versatility, the sense of pace that comes from being ready for anything and having seen it all.
“It’s really cool to have Max and Gloria on tour, but then Mom and Dad at home,” Richie explains. “There’s a total separation of tour and family. And then, when we’re not touring with them for so long, it’s good to see them all the time. So often [Incite] are doing our own tours, and Max is doing his own thing, so to come together and see them is always a welcome thing.”
“And I think it’s great,” says Max, wide-eyed and happy. “It’s the true metal family spirit. Not fake metal family, a real metal family.”
