Sepultura

Members: Andreas Kisser, Derrick Green, Igor Cavalera, Paulo Jr.

Active: 1984-present

HISTORY

Sepultura was formed in Belo Horizonte in the 1980's by Max Cavalera (guitars and vocals) younger brother and Igor Cavalera (drums). Sepultura signed to Cogumelo Records after a few years of performing. Their first EP was Bestial Devastation, a split with another band's album on the flipside. Their first LP was Morbid Visions (1986 in music), which included the moderate hit "Troops of Doom" that attracted the band some attention. After Morbid Visions, Jairo Guedez left the band for another death metal venture and Sao Paulo based guitarist Andreas Kisser replaced him. Their second full-length album was Schizophrenia, which was a critical success that led to a contract with Roadrunner Records.

With Roadrunner distributing Schizophrenia worldwide, Sepultura reached new audiences of metal fans, cemented by 1989's Beneath the Remains (1989 in music), which was followed by a long European tour. By the time they released 1991's Arise (1991 in music), Sepultura were located in Phoenix, Arizona and had become one of the most critically-praised metal bands of the 1990s, in spite of a lack of mainstream success. Chaos A.D. (1993 in music) was another hit within metal communities, and also helped form the groove metal genre. They continued with this on 1996's Roots, in which the band further innovated by experimenting with elements from the music of Brazil's indigenous peoples and Nu Metal. (1996 in music).

At the height of Sepultura's fame, however, a series of events broke the band apart. First, just before the band were due to play at the 1996 Donington Monsters of Rock Festival, lead singer Max Cavalera's wife (and the band's manager), Gloria, was hit by the death of her teenage son in a car crash. Max and Gloria left the rest of the band to go back to America, and the band performed as a trio for the first time.

It was rumoured that there was some intra-band tension throughout the latter half of 1996, and at the end of a successful tour of Britain later that year, at Brixton Academy on 16th December 1996, the band told Max they would not renew Gloria's management contract. Max Cavalera left the band, and formed Soulfly. The others announced that they would continue under the Sepultura name and were searching for a replacement.

A recording of Max's last show with the band was later released as a live album, 2002's (2002 in music) (Under A Pale Grey Sky) by their former record label Roadrunner Records, against the wishes of the band. Derrick Green of Cleveland wound up filling the frontman spot, and the band released Against in 1998 (1998 in music). Against was commercially less successful than its two predecessors, as was the follow-up Nation. These releases saw Sepultura move away from their previous approach of the thrash metal sound - a process already in motion in such releases as Roots, and aided by Max's departure - and this led to widespread criticism from the band's original fanbase. Subsequent releases have had a positive effect in returning praise to the band, but opinion is divided on their new direction.

After recording Revolusongs, an EP full of covers in 2002 (2002 in music) the band released the album Roorback in 2003 (2003 in music) which garnered a lot of positive reviews.

In November 2005 (2005 in music) the live Double-DVD and Double-CD Live in S?o Paulo was released. This was the first official live album from the band.

The release of 'Live In Sao Paulo' marked the first involvement of the new 'Sepularmy' street team in promotion of the bands music. The Sepularmy is unrelated to the bands record label SPV and its members are motivated purely by the desire to share the bands music with as many people as possible. The 'army is expected to be involved in the promotion of all the bands releases and endevours for the foreseeable future and anyone is welcome to register and help out.

A new album, called Dante XXI was released on March 14, 2006 (2006 in music). It based around Dante's The Divine Comedy.

On January 13, 2006, it was reported Igor Cavalera left Sepultura. It was thought he would be leaving the band but later he stated he was just taking a break from the band to spend time with his new wife and witness the birth of his fourth son.

In June 2006 Igor Cavalera announced his departure from sepultura.

ALBUMS:

1985 - Bestial Devastation (EP)

1986 - Morbid Visions

1987 - Schizophrenia

1989 - Beneath the Remains

1991 - Arise

1993 - Chaos A.D.

1996 - Roots

1997 - Blood Rooted

1997 - The Roots of Sepultura

1998 - Against

2001 - Nation

2002 - Under A Pale Grey Sky (Sepultura does not consider this as an official release)

2002 - Revolusongs (EP)

2003 - Roorback

2005 - Live In S?o Paulo

2006 - Dante XXI