CAVALERA, the band featuring former SEPULTURA members Max and Igor “Iggor” Cavalera, has become synonymous with extreme metal music, a name that to this day still holds the highest regard, a family legacy built upon decades of musical aggression. In 2023, Max and Igor achieved what some would say was an impossible feat; they revisited their earliest SEPULTURA releases, “Morbid Visions” and “Bestial Devastation”, and re-recorded them with bone-breaking intensity. A risk that few would dare to even attempt, yet they artfully and prolifically attained their trademark raw sound by means that could only be described as magic or time travel.
It seems that the ball would not stop rolling as now they are entering the final chapter of their early-days trilogy. SEPULTURA‘s “Schizophrenia” is an iconic album in terms of early thrash and death metal, a household name for those of us invested in extreme metal. This was the point where the Cavaleras refined their dark, dingy, speed-influenced songs, into something a bit more mature, developed, and technical. Decades later, they have once more unlocked the asylum that is “Schizophrenia”, opening the doors to that banished, twisted recording which will be unleashed unto to world on June 21 via Nuclear Blast Records.
Today, CAVALERA released the pummeling second single titled “From The Past Comes The Storms”. Costin Chioreanu was once again enlisted to create the animated music video.
Max Cavalera states: “‘From The Past Comes The Storms’ is a ferocious album opener. It is a pioneer song using the ’80s metal movement’s mentality. I love the apocalyptic vision in Costin‘s video, bringing the circle of life and death and war and pain. This is going to be a banger to play live!”
Igor Cavalera comments: “‘From The Past Comes The Storms’ was one of the first songs we wrote for ‘Schizophrenia’, also included in a demo version. I love the rawness between the old school black/death metal influences mixed with thrash. The video illustrates the vibe of the song very well!”
Max previously said about the “Schizophrenia” re-recordings: “The Third World Trilogy is finally complete with ‘Schizophrenia’, ‘Bestial Devastation’ and ‘Morbid Visions’, all three Brazilian underground gems! To me, ‘Schizophrenia’ is the ultimate death/ thrash experiment! I was inspired to take on the world and this recording shows my commitment is relentless! This one is for all the generations to enjoy! Play at max volume!”
Igor added: “1987 was a very progressive year for metal, with releases like CELTIC FROST ‘Into The Pandemonium’, VOIVOD ‘Killing Technology’ and BATHORY ‘Under The Sign Of The Black Mark’, so it was no surprise on how we approached ‘Schizophrenia’ pushing our boundaries from a black/death metal sound to a more thrash metal aesthetics. We still had some ideas from ‘Morbid Visions’ and some new songs. I’m very proud of the songwriting and even more proud of our re-recordings.”
CAVALERA‘s “Schizophrenia” track listing:
01. Intro – Re-Recorded
02. From The Past Comes The Storms – Re-Recorded
03. To The Wall – Re-Recorded
04. Escape To The Void – Re-Recorded
05. Inquisition Symphony – Re-Recorded
06. Screams Behind The Shadows – Re-Recorded
07. Septic Schizo – Re-Recorded
08. The Abyss – Re-Recorded
09. R.I.P. (Rest In Pain) – Re-Recorded
10. Nightmares Of Delirium – New, never released
No stranger to collaborations, the Cavalera brothers enlisted Travis Stone (PIG DESTROYER) on lead guitars, and that choice becomes obvious within the first song. The full lineup would consist of more Cavalera alumni, as Igor Amadeus Cavalera (GO AHEAD AND DIE, HEALING MAGIC) once more brought his talents on bass to the fold. Thundering and thrumming the low end with brute force, it is clear that the double Iggor and Igor combination is a rhythm section to be reckoned with.
It should come as no surprise that the CAVALERA brothers always felt that these songs deserved a fresh take with modern production. From April 15 to June 5, 2023 the band re-recorded the album at Focusrite Room in Mesa Arizona. Mixing and mastering was handled by Arthur Rizk (SOULFLY, GO AHEAD AND DIE, TURNSTILE).
“Schizophrenia”‘s album cover has obsessed and fascinated fans for decades. The brothers left no stone unturned and no detail unnoticed, also revisioning the original cover artwork of the album, restored in hand-painted watercolors by Eliran Kantor.
This summer, CAVALERA will be traveling across Europe and the U.K. on their “Third World Trilogy” tour. The trek will kick off on June 12 in Leichester and will make stops in Wroclaw, Oslo, and Barcelona before ending in Switzerland on July 21.
CAVALERA is:
Max Cavalera – Vocals, Guitar
Igor “Iggor” Cavalera – Drums, Percussion
Igor Amadeus Cavalera – Bass
Travis Stone – Lead Guitar
Photo credit: Kevin Estrada