SOULFLY – 3 (Retro)

Dette intervjuet ble gjort samme kveld som Soulfly skulle spille på Rockefeller i Oslo 27, januar 2003. Det var noen måneder etter at bandets tredjeskive ble sluppet og Ruben tok seg en prat med Max Cavalera på telefon. Årsaken til at dette intervjuet kommer på trykk først nå, er at det forsvant under flytting til ny server og webhost i 2007, men dukket plutselig opp igjen her om dagen. Dessuten passer det perfekt som åpning på vår Soulfly uke med 4 nye intervjuer med alle bandmedlemmene. Men først, her er Max Cavalera anno januar 2003 og hans samtale med Ruben i forbindelse med slipp av "3".

So Max, the album has been out for some while now, how has the response been?

It has been awesome, really powerful. I think because some of the songs go back to more the roots, also heavy music, more aggressive like the hardcore-like songs, like Nailbomb that brought a lot of the fans together. So it's been really good, the combination of the new songs with the old songs, mix the whole set very powerful and of course I am happy about that!

But if you take a look back to the album "Primitive", do you feel this one is better?

No, I enjoy every album because they all have a different vibe and era. Like, the first album was more raw, "Primitive" was more experimental and Soulfly "3" is more our own sound, you know, more like original trademark sound. So the combination of these three albums is really powerful for me. And when I play them live, all the songs that I play from all these three records they go like really well. When I play from the "Primitive" the whole crowd goes nuts and they really love it, and when I play songs from the first album they love it. And I play new songs they love so it's a really good combination.

Also Roy Mayorga is back behind the drums again, what does that mean for Soulfly?

Well, Soulfly is a band that I think, aaah, like I have this military attitude, like never give up, always go further, don't look back and we go against all odds, and when Roy left we continued with a new drummer, and I think Roy realized that he should come back because Soulfly is really powerful and he should be playing with us. And he came back and we invited him with open arms. And he is a really great drummer, and he's original. He also plays great live and he is a good guy, good friend, so over all it's really good to have him back! It made all of us stronger.

Can you tell us the story behind the name of this record, "3"?

The real story behind the name is that we did not find a name until the last minute. We where thinking about calling it "Downstroy", but I did not think that was the right name for the whole album. I had no other name, but I had to call it something. You need some name for your album I guess, hehe, so I just called it "3".

And you are very pleased with this album?

Yes, I am because I was in charge of production, the musical ideas and it was a real hard task, and when I now listen to it I like the variation, I like the different moods and I like the fact that it goes back and forth and happy aggressive, fast and melodic, spiritual, the combination is a trademark of Soulfly this combination and I am happy for that.

The albums is very long, it lasts for 78 minutes. Are you not afraid that the listener somehow will loose "contact" with the album?

Well, I think this kind of music for me, I don't know if everybody is the same, but you enjoy the whole album, no need to listen to it all at once. It's not like its one hit song, like the songs that are on MTV because we don't have that. It's about experiencing the whole album from the beginning to the end in different times; you don't need to listen to it all at one time, a couple songs now and a couple later. That's what I do with albums I really like. I experience them like going to a science-type of experience and find out more things about the album within time, not one time listening, but many, many times, so that you every time discovers something new.

That's also how I experience "3", there is always something new.

That was also the idea behind this album. Just like the first album, witch also was very long, but one can still listen to it and discover new things all them time when you listen to the first, "Soulfly", and "Primitive". I think you discover them more and more and more.

What about the lyrics, what most important for you when you write the lyrics? What inspires you?

Its not one particular thing or things like that, but it is about what goes on around me, and the world. And that's my inspiration for writing, it is from everything everywhere. I am kind of like a satellite picking up information from all over the place.

"The last of the Mohicans", what is the lyrical message behind this? For me it seems like a favour or homage to your self.

You know, it is homage to my self, to the people that listen to this music, that they don't go with the fashion, and stay focused to this kind of music. Like, when the grunge came a lot of people went to wearing flannel shirts and listened to Nirvana and when the other trends came, like hip-hop, metal and this and that. For me "Last of the Mohicans" is about stay true to your fast songs. Every album of mine has fast songs and I will never make an album witch don't have a fast song so, you know, it's a song about to stay true to your roots, no matter what.

Track number nine is a very special thing, what are your thoughts about that?

For me that is my tribute to what happened in New York, people that died in New York, but in a different way all the musicians where making songs and where writing lyrics and singing about it, but I think silence is better, for me. It's a more powerful way of expressing what I felt about what happened. And it was also original, because I don't know of any other album that has a minute of silence so any time I have something that I never have seen before I always get exiting about doing it because it is like the first time.

Do you think Sepultura's album "Roots" did inspire any bands? What's your view upon that?

I think there is a lot of bands that are inspired by Sepultura`s "Roots". That album influenced a lot artists like Slipknot and System of a Down. I can see the influence from "Roots" and "Chaos ad" and that makes me happy because that was a seed we planted many years ago witch we still see now as a strong influence and in the other hand I see a lot that has no influence of mine at all, like Papa Roach and things like that. I don't think that I don't have nothing to do with those bands like they don't speak up anything really for me, and they come from a complete different era and they don't pick up any of mine stuff so it depends of what kind band you are talking about.

So what do you think of these bands, like Slipknot and System of A Down?

Well, I listen to a lot of stuff man, and I like Slipknot, but I don't listen to them all the time, but I like some of their songs and I am friends with Corey. You know I listen to a lot of stuff, one second I listen to Warhammer and in the next I listen to reggae. For me there is really not a division, I try to listen to everything, heavy stuff, mellow stuff, tripped out stuff; I am always picking up information.

There is much less guest musicians on "3" then it was on "Primitive", why did you not use so many of them this time?

This album was going to be more direct, more in your face and an album, for me, more similar to lets say Nailbomb "Point Blank", or Sepultura "Chaos ad", that type of record. You know, really strong, really powerful and without many distractions. Having the first three songs like BOOOM, just like, you cant even breath you know, and I like that. For this album that was the right thing to do. I think it live works very good, it's really powerful in live combination and that's good, I am happy with that.

While talking about live, you are on a tour now. How has that been so far?

The tour has been really good, I mean we started yesterday in Copenhagen; it was a great show, great crowd. I think it's going to be a really good European tour because on the last tour there where many places I could not visit and a lot of fans really want to see me, places like Greece and Bulgaria witch I never have played. I have been playing music for almost 20 years now I and cant believe I am still going to places where I never came before.

And I guess you are happy to get to travel so much, experience so much and play for all the people you do?

Yeah, the band is very exited, we all are, even though there is war and shit going on, very happy to get to go on tour. I don't give a shit; I just want to go on stage and play loud, scream and go crazy on stage, that's all I want to do, man!

So, what can the audience expect to night? (Og her fikk jeg, irriterende nok, for mitt spørsmålsark hadde så utrolig mange spørsmål, beskjed om at dette måtte bli det siste spørsmål)

They can expect a really powerful show with everything for everybody. Old fans will get to hear old Sepultura stuff with me singing and new fans will get to hear stuff from "Soulfly", "Primitive" and "3" so it's a combination of my career, 18-19 songs of everything that the people want to hear. So, I like it all. Its like I say, I love to go on stage to scream and go mad and sing those songs I have been singing for 20 years. I look forward to the audience for I think we have great shows here. Roskilde festival and the Scandinavian festivals have always been powerful for me with Sepultura and Soulfly, so I think its going to be a lot of people and a great fucking show.

http://www.myspace.com/soulfly