CHICAGO– Sepultura has been one of metal’s longest-standing institutions, hailing from Belo Horizonte in Brazil and forming in 1984, over 42 years ago. The band was founded by brothers, vocalist and rhythm guitarist Max Cavalera, and drummer Igor Cavalera, who are no longer in the band. The Cavalera brothers were the initial foundational force of the band and their run of albums until “Roots” in 1996, when Max left due to heavy personal issues with the band’s direction.
In 1987, guitarist Andreas Kisser joined the band and changed the game as he had a massive amount of technical experience, which the band had not had access to before his joining. Kisser has been the core of Sepultura since their album “Schizophrenia” and has defined the band with his immense talent and versatility in lead guitar playing and heavy riffage.
After Max quit, he was replaced by Derrick Green from the Cleveland Hardcore scene, who was first on their 1998 album “Choke.” While many metal fans associate Sepultura with the Cavalera brothers, Green has now been in the band for almost 30 years and has carved his own musical legacy with the band in a historic way.
While Sepultura plays their historical back catalogue, they also bring their more modern songs to the table, making them one of the most versatile live metal bands. Joined by their long-time bassist Paolo Jr and new drummer virtuoso Greyson Nekrutman, Sepultura is bowing out after 42 years but not without a final world tour.
The Chicago leg of Sepultura’s farewell tour hit the Southside’s Ramova Theater, which featured openers Tribal Gaze, Biohazard, and Exodus. Every band tore the house down before the main act. Tribal Gaze brought their brand of modern heavy death metal. Biohazard put on a very engaging show with their hardcore and in-your-face Urban Discipline. Exodus also put on an amazing show featuring Slayer’s late-career guitarist, Gary Holt; they rip a very classic and authentic style of thrash metal.
Sepultura’s stage set was very cool, with the tribal backdrop and the heightened drum stage highlighting the insane ability of Greyson Nekrutman. The band started with their track “Inner Self” off the phenomenal 1989 release “Beneath the Remains.” Going from Inner Self into the title track, Beneath the Remains, at the very start gave the classic Sepultura fans the heavy, intense, and aggressive riffage they love from the band’s early career.
Green sings all of Max’s parts from the first 10 years of Sepultura with finesse, as he has been performing them on tour for longer than Max ever had with Sepultura. The set continues into more modern cuts like 2020’s “Means to an End,” which features some potent political rage from Green’s lyricism and great riffage from Kisser.
The band also released a farewell EP entitled “The Cloud of Unknowing” as their last piece of music together. They played a track called “The Place” off the EP, which has a more brooding and methodical energy to it, which is a good moment of reprieve from the incredibly fast and heavy riffage of most of their songs. The band also pays tribute to their tribal Brazilian Heritage with a lot of their music and this included a traditionally written tribal song, “Kaiowas,” being played with a live drum section.
Paying homage to their tribal roots has always been a focus of Sepultura’s songwriting, but it’s awesome to see ceremonial-style drum lines during their otherwise heavy metal set. The band rips through more songs on their 23-song farewell set, which lasted over an hour and a half. This felt like a dream come true for me as a diehard fan, getting to see pretty much every song I have ever loved from them. Especially “Dead Embryonic Cells” off of their arguably best album, 1991’s “Arise.”
The band also played timeless hits off of their 1993 masterpiece “Chaos A.D” including the riotous “Refuse/Resist.” Sepultura has always taken a staunchly Anti-Government, Liberation-First focus with their music, which makes their lyricism remain incredibly potent in times of impending fascism. The message of self-liberation has also made them popular with fans of hardcore and with the wider media, as they were always authentic in how they presented themselves.
The band closes their set with their undoubtedly biggest song, “Roots Bloody Roots” off the aforementioned “Roots” album in 1996. The rage of this track is incredibly potent as it rips into a furious breakdown before closing off their farewell set. Sepultura managed to have a 40-plus-year career of constantly innovating and delivering a message of freedom. Their musical feats stand among the most impressive in the genre of metal, and witnessing them bow out one more time was an absolute honor.
###