Jim Louvau
Audio By Carbonatix
Among the many arguments that have been made for the power of art as a time-traveling device, let it be known music is possibly the fastest and most effective way to jump from one decade to another. If you want to feel what it was like to be alive in a particular year, listen to a record from said year in its entirety. Sure, the best albums are, in a way, timeless, but they can still give you a sense of the time and place they were made.
Sepultura’s “Chaos A.D.” came out in 1993 and is still quite easily one of the best records to ever come out of Arizona, although it was recorded in a castle in Wales, but let’s not quibble over such things since Wales and Arizona are basically the same place. Both are overshadowed by more famous neighbors, for example, and both are the birthplace of great bands. More importantly, you can hear the entirety of “Chaos A.D.” played live on Saturday, October 11, by Cavalera at the Marquee Theatre in Tempe.
For valley metal icon Max Cavalera, this tour is a way to celebrate with the fans.
“There’s a truth about ‘Chaos A.D.’ that comes out in these songs, and even though it was done 30 years ago. It’s that truth to power that is still being spoken today more than ever, you know? When we play “Refuse/Resist” and “Slaver New World,” you know, or “Territory” (the first three tracks on the album, although slightly out of order in this list) … I don’t know, man, it’s awesome,” says Cavalera over the phone on a day off from the current tour in Hays, Kansas.
Neil Schwartz
Although Cavalera left Sepultura officially in 1997, he has been revisiting the band’s work on recent tours with his brother, Igor, behind the drum kit. Joining the brothers in this incarnation of their Cavalera band are Max’s son, Igor Amadeus Cavalera (Go Ahead and Die, Lody Kong, Nailbomb), on bass, and Travis Stone (Pig Destroyer/Nailbomb) handling the lead guitar duties.
“My son, Igor, is playing bass, and Travis is a shredder from Baltimore on guitar, and then, of course, my brother (on drums). It’s really fun because the dynamics are really interesting that you have, me and Igor, the two old guys, and then you got these new firecrackers. They come in hot and keep everybody on their toes, you know? They bring it, man, every night. They bring the energy. It’s kind of cool because it connects with the young crowds also that’s coming to see the show. I think they connect a lot with Igor and Travis, and that’s, which is pretty fucking great,” says Cavalera with a discernible amount of pride in his voice.
If you haven’t taken Chaos A.D. for a spin in a while, you may want to do so before hitting the show. The album starts with four heavy rockers (“Amen” is the fourth track after the previously mentioned first three), but then “Kaiowas” comes in. This was one of the coolest and most noticeable tracks when it came out because it was such a shift in mood and sound, but according to Cavalera, it is one of the most interesting songs in a live set that will feature several surprises.
“We do a full-on version of ‘Kaiowas’ acoustic, which is killer. It’s so funny… that song is the heaviest thing in the set because it’s acoustic. It hits harder than anything electric that we can play in the whole show. When that song ends, it hits you like a ton of bricks. It’s fucking incredible, and there’s no electric guitars,” says Cavalera.
After a tiny bit of internet sleuthing (thanks, setlist.fm), I discovered that the band is not playing the album in the exact order of the tracks on the initial release, but all of the songs are definitely being played on this tour, including the cover of New Model Army’s “The Hunt.” In 1993, New Model Army was one of those bands that almost everyone said they loved, but very few people I knew had any of their records. It was a bit of a statement for a band like Sepultura to cover them in those days.
“’The Hunt’ is a trip. That’s such a cool song. It’s so different from everything we have ever done. It’s got this full-on melody, you know? The original is a melodic song. It’s like full-on folk rock from England. It was a challenge to record that, but yeah, I think the vibe I get from the crowd is that everybody is just really loving it,” says Cavalera.
It is clear that Cavalera is enjoying playing Chaos A.D. for people on this tour. While tickets are still available, he mentioned that sales are going really well for the Marquee show, so expect a jubilant crowd ready to take a short trip back to what was, at the time, the future of heavy music. Cavalera certainly seems to expect a lot of fun.
“It’s such a special record, and it still feels important today. It’s pretty crazy. (The shows have been) so loud, everybody’s singing, and you also have this feeling of brotherhood. Everybody’s in this thing together. We’re all in the venue for the same reason. We wanna hear those songs played in the best possible way,” says Cavalera, who also mentioned that it is also his wife (and band manager) Gloria Cavalera’s birthday on October 11, as well.
Cavalera plays Chaos A.D. on Saturday, October 11, 2025, at the Marquee Theatre in Tempe, Arizona. Fear Factory and Genocide Pact are direct support for the all-ages show, but Six Million Dead, Mourning Star, Ocean Harvest, Gnumb, The Agoreez and Vindicated open the festival-style show. Doors open at 3:30 p.m. Tickets are available here.
