SOULFLY and former SEPULTURA frontman Max Cavalera reflected on humility and longevity in the metal business during a new interview with Irina Marinescu of Rock FM România, offering a rare moment of introspection from one of death and groove metal's most enduring figures.
Asked what separates legendary artists from merely successful ones, Cavalera pointed to resilience through hardship and staying grounded rather than any measure of fame or output. "In this business, it's very easy to think that what you do is the most important thing in the world, and it's not," he said.
Cavalera credited his family for keeping his ego in check, with his wife Gloria and son Zyon both closely involved in SOULFLY's operation — Zyon co-produced the band's latest album alongside Arthur Rizk. Another son, Richie, fronts his own band INCITE, which has toured alongside SOULFLY.
The comments arrive as SOULFLY tours behind "Chama," the band's thirteenth studio album, released October 24, 2025 via Nuclear Blast Records and recorded at Platinum Underground Studio in Mesa, Arizona. The band is currently in the middle of a 25-date U.S. fall run that kicked off with an appearance at the Louder Than Life festival, with support from Cavalera's long-running side project NAILBOMB and INCITE also on select dates — effectively a multi-generational family bill.
Cavalera co-founded SEPULTURA in Belo Horizonte, Brazil in 1984 and fronted the band through genre-defining albums like "Beneath The Remains," "Arise" and "Roots" before departing in 1997 amid a much-publicized rift with the band's other members. He formed SOULFLY the following year and has released a steady stream of albums with the project ever since, alongside collaborations including CAVALERA CONSPIRACY with brother and former SEPULTURA bandmate Igor Cavalera.
Four decades into his career, Cavalera's comments suggest an artist still actively weighing what the work means beyond the stage — and crediting family, not ego, with keeping him there.