The 30th and final tour date for Cavalera — as in Max and Iggor Cavalera, one of metal’s most enduring duos — will detonate in Downtown Phoenix on Sunday, equal parts homecoming for Max and concussive skull-throttling for the poor souls inside the Van Buren.
The tour supports the thrash metal band’s 2024 album “Schizophrenia,” the final installment in what they call their Third World Trilogy, following 2023’s re-recorded the classic Sepultura albums “Morbid Visions” and “Bestial Devastation.” Opening for Cavalera on the final stop of their Third World Trilogy Tour will be Necrot, Dead Heat and Bury the Darkness.
Expect a display of raw power, precision, and a deep reverence for their roots. The Cavalera brothers originally hail from Belo Horizonte, Brazil, and have remained true to the legacy of Latin American metal. Max and Iggor first made their mark on the global metal scene in 1984 with the formation of Sepultura, a band that helped shape the evolution of death and groove metal. Their landmark 1996 album “Roots” fused Brazilian tribal rhythms with crushing riffs — imagine the sensation of getting run over by a freight train in the middle of the jungle, and you’re close to understanding why Sepultura influenced the likes of Slipknot, Korn, and System of a Down.
The Cavaleras still shred as a family: Max on rhythm guitar and vocals, Iggor on drums, Travis Stone on lead guitar, and Igor Amadeus Cavalera (Max’s son) on bass and backup vocals. Max Cavalera has called Phoenix home for years, making this show a meaningful tour finale for the legend.
One of his favorite shows of recent vintage was the Max Cavalera Dynasty show in November 2024 at the Marquee Theater. It showcased his projects Soulfly and Nailbomb, as well as Incite, Go Ahead and Die, Healing Magic, and Jade Helm.
“Phoenix has always had an amazing show for me,” Max tells Phoenix New Times. “Apart from being my hometown, it’s always one of the best crowds of the tour. It’s a very cool mix of metalheads, Indigenous people, family and friends.”
Also, if you’re going to the show for a megadose of death metal, you should also think of the children. In 1998, Max and his wife, Gloria, founded a charity called The Iggy Fund, named after their son Igor (Iggy), who as a toddler was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. The organization provides kids with essential monthly diabetes supplies — insulin, test strips, emergency kits for home and school.
“The metalheads who have come to our shows have made a big impact with their donations and their support of our Iggy Diabetes Fund,” Max says. “One hundred percent of the donations goes to help families purchase the very costly medicine and supplies needed for diabetes treatment.”
Sick kids, man. Life isn't fair. But then, that's why we have metal. Here's “Escape to the Void,” off of “Schizophrenia.”
Part of the opening salvo on Sunday will be Marc Rosenfeld, another local with metal in his veins. By day, he has a Live Nation marketing job. By night, he’s the guitarist for the local metalcore band Bury the Darkness, whose emotionally raw, frenetic sound goes harder than organic chemistry.
“It’s amazing to be on both sides of the industry,” Rosenfeld says. “People here really go to bat for local artists.”
Born in New York and raised in Arizona, Rosenfeld picked up the guitar at age 10 and grew up playing classical double bass with the Phoenix Symphony. Eventually, he swung to the dark side as his love of bands like Green Day and Asking Alexandria drew him to rock.
Formed in 2019, Bury the Darkness released their debut album “Dead Inside” in 2023 and recently played SXSW, sharing the stage with heavyweights like Cavalera.
Metal, Rosenfeld says, has “always been an outlet — a safe space to express yourself.”
Safe maybe for everything but your hearing. Sunday’s set is 13+. Doors at 6, show at 7. Tickets start at $41.75 at thevanburenphx.com.
