INTERVIEW: SOULFLY IN CONVERSATION WITH MAX CAVALERA

Interview by Cecilia Pattison-Levi

Chama, the Australian Tour 2026 and Future Visions

“Metal is in a good place right now in 2025,” stated Max Cavalera. “The next generation of metal fans are embracing change and Soulfly fans are adventurous and embrace those new sounds. I love that I can still push those buttons – metal is not one dimensional – it’s creative and got so much to say and offer”.

Max Cavalera is in Montana, where he is just about to perform the Chaos AD tour in the US. He is excited about the tour to Australia: “We don’t need to bring warm clothes?”. I replied “No. It will be insanely hot!”. He is proud and excited to be playing the new Soulfly record ‘Chama’ live and can’t wait to get back to Australia to play it for fans “We’re very excited to get back to Australia,” said Max Cavalera. “Next year will be all pretty much a lot of touring and we can’t wait to do ‘Froth & The Fury’ – it’s going to be a lot of fun”.

Discussing the physical demands of touring, Max Cavalera explained that he does not worry much about recovery or vocal health. “I never took vocal lessons or learned how to sing. I just know that my voice does that. I sing a certain way, and it works, and I don’t worry about it if it’s working and I don’t fuck with it, you know. Also, I can trust in my band and crew to look after me and each other”.

The Australian tour will be more of a family affair for Soulfly as Max Cavalera has his sons, Zyon (drums in Soulfly) and Igor (in Nailbomb) with him as well as his beloved crew who have been together for over 20 years. “The fans know my sons and the crew as we are family after 20 years of being together”, explained Max Cavalera. “I actually have to thank my wife, Gloria. She got talking to Willie Nelson years ago and he told her that his band and crew had all been together for years – growing older together, and maturing in musical experience together. I thought that was cool and created a great environment for the band and fans. Soulfly followed that in our own way”.

Soulfly has just released their latest album ‘Chama’ and while it is sonically distinct and harder, containing very heavy guitar riffs and grooves with tribal influences, it is at its core a compassionate album about culture and love of Brazil, even with all its faults and strengths. Tracks like the astonishingly beautiful ‘Soulfly XIII’, ‘Ghenna’, ‘Favela Dystopia’, and Max Cavalera’s favourite song ‘Chama’.

“I love playing ‘Chama’ live and it has grown on me 1000 times more than when I wrote it”, exclaimed Max Cavalera. “The way I write is around the guitar riff. I go to the desert to find riffs. But sometimes I hear a vocal line. I do not follow a book or rules of traditional songwriting. I like chaos in songwriting. I like music to develop naturally. When I started writing ‘Storm The Gates’ I went back to an older riff and evolved it into the song. There are no rules – I just know what grooves sound good”.

‘Chama’ does showcase some of the heaviest guitar riffs and “grooves” Max Cavalera has written. “We wanted to make a different album and you know the more you are away from your home, the more you miss it and want to keep in touch with it”, explained Max Cavalera. “We have blended organic instrumentation with studio techniques to create a dense and innovative dark Brazilian soundscape. We wanted to combine tribalism, indigenous sounds with new technology, there are things that you can do in the studio that we did with pedals. I mean, it’s all organic, nothing’s fake. It’s all really done by us and the instruments, pedals and everything like that. It was really a trip to make this record and layer all these sounds. I mean, if you listen to a song like ‘No Pain = No Power’, the end of it, there’s a lot of really creepy noises going on that I feel is very cool and that makes the album stand out”.

“But we are kicking off 2026 in the best way by coming to Australia”, said Max Cavalera. “We are going to be bringing a mix of old songs, new songs and deep cuts. In fact, the setlist is really exciting. We are pairing new and old songs and it is bringing a new energy to the gigs. I am loving performing it. We know we don’t get to Australia as much as we would like, so our tours there are always special. We love our fans in Australia and we will be bringing the best of Soulfly to them. We also have Nailbomb and Snot with us. And we love playing those Aussie festivals”.

At nearly thirty years as a band with Soulfly, and forty-plus years in his career in music, Max Cavalera is not just about legacy, he is about looking forward, and bringing his fiery energy to every gig. “The future of metal is looking strong”, as he rattled off a list of young bands he is following. “Soulfly brings that metal experimentation, we are taking risks and we still push the envelope with our music, and that is the experience we will bring and we can’t wait to share it with Australian fans”.  

Soulfly latest’s album ‘Chama’ was released on 24 October 2025 on Nuclear Blast Records. The Australian tour, featuring Soulfly, Nailbomb and Snot in 2026:

• Saturday, January 24th – Perth HPC, Perth WA*

• Monday, January 26th – The Tivoli, Brisbane QLD

• Tuesday, January 27th – Enmore Theatre, Sydney NSW

• Friday, January 30th – Forum Theatre, Melbourne VIC

• Saturday, January 31st – Adelaide Showgrounds, Adelaide SA*

* Froth & Fury Festival; Snot not appearing.

Tickets and album are available now for one of the hottest gigs of early 2026.