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Max and Iggor Cavalera are best known as the Brazilian brothers behind the pioneering metal band Sepultura, which rose to prominence in the 1990s. In recent years, however, they've perhaps become better known for their through-the-media feuding with the current members of their former group.
Now, both Cavaleras say they want the focus to be on their return to roots — or, rather, on "Max and Iggor Cavalera Return to Roots," a tour featuring front-to-back performances of Sepultura's classic 1996 album "Roots," the band's last featuring both Cavalera brothers.
They'll be playing at Salt Lake City's Metro Music Hall this Sunday.
In separate phone interviews with The Salt Lake Tribune, both brothers — who've played together recently in the band Cavalera Conspiracy — traced the origins of these "Roots" shows to inspiration gained from time in London, though for different reasons.
"I can't take credit for the idea — that was my wife, actually. She thought of it, and she told us backstage when we played in London, 'You guys should do the whole record. It'd be great to see you do the whole album,' " said Max, the singer, guitarist and songwriter. "We never even had thought about it. We tried it, and it became a huge success."
Iggor, the drummer, admitted, "To be honest, in the beginning, I was, like, not really into the idea," but said a concert by one of his favorite bands helped change his mind.
"I went to see Black Flag play in London, and they were performing all their old tracks that I never really had a chance to see live because I was in Brazil at the time and they never made it there," he said. "For me, that was quite special — I had a chance to experience a band that I'd been a fan of my whole life. And they were older guys really kicking ass. And, for me, that was very inspirational."
So what started last year as some 20th-anniversary retrospective performances soon enough became a full-fledged tour, with guitarist Marc Rizzo and bassist Tony Campos rounding out the lineup.
Though neither Cavalera has been a part of Sepultura for a long time — Max left in '96 when the other bandmates decided to fire his wife as the group's manager, and Iggor departed a decade later as the last remaining original member — they're happy to acknowledge the impact of "Roots" on their respective careers.
"It was such a special album for us, in the sense that it was very experimental at the time — it broke a lot of barriers," Iggor said.
Max added that while "Roots" is remembered for its layered-on native tribal rhythms, its underlying restraint is the reason for its past success and the ease with which it's been resurrected in the present.
"It really is a good record to play live. What we did with 'Roots,' at the time, was simplify everything. We cut the fat out of the songs and we just kept it really focused and really sharp. So, stuff like 'Spit' and 'Cut-Throat,' even 'Roots Bloody Roots' — most of the song is two notes and can be played with only one string. If you only had one string on your guitar, you can play 'Roots,' " he said. "The simplicity, I think, the minimalistic way we did the record was really great. I think that's the secret to the success of the record. Underneath all the tribal stuff, the simplicity really comes in, and really works out great live."
Now, the Cavalera brothers claim, they're hoping to bring some restraint and simplicity to their relationship with the current iteration of Sepultura.
Iggor admits much of the back-and-forth sniping is "because, to a certain extent, me and Max believe Sepultura doesn't really make sense nowadays, to do what they're doing, and with that comes a lot of anger from their part." Max, for his part, concedes annoyance that "we don't have the name, [and] they continue with the name."
But, they both add, while there have been plenty of "bad vibes through the years," it's almost a matter of practicality to let go of the animosity.
They're certainly busy enough to leave the feud behind. Between their Max and Iggor shows and Cavalera Conspiracy, Iggor works with the Belgian band Soulwax, and Max participates in the band Soulfly and the metal supergroup Killer Be Killed (among other projects).
"Life's too short to be angry and fighting," Iggor said. "So I don't really care what they do or what they don't do."
"For a time — for a long time — there was a war in the press, like, 'He'll talk this, I'll talk that.' I got really tired of it, honestly. I'm not gonna do that anymore. So let them go their way and do their thing, and we're gonna do our thing, and I think that's the best for everybody," Max added. "… It's what's in front of you. I'm very pleased with how things are turning out right now, so I wouldn't change anything."
In the end, focusing on the music is perhaps the truest return to roots of all.
Twitter: @esotericwalden —
With Full of Hell, Immolation
When • Sunday, 6 p.m.
Where • Metro Music Hall, 615 W. 100 South, Salt Lake City
Tickets • $25, Ticketfly