With SEPULTURA's final show now under three months away, Andreas Kisser used a new interview with The Adventures Of Pipeman to talk about why authoritarian governments reach for the arts before they reach for anything else.
"That's why they are scared of art and culture," the guitarist said. "On a fascist government or a dictatorship, the first one to suffer are arts — movie theaters, music, paintings, poems, newspaper text and books and so on. They are the first. Why do they burn books? Because they change people… Because arts, it touches you in a very unique way. That's a self-knowledge process, to watch a painting or to paint yourself or listen to music and whatever, whatever art form, it helps you to self-knowledge and for evolution, self-evolution. And that's why people are scared. Because they want us stupid so they can control [us]. Divide and conquer."
It is not a new position for him. In 2020 he described much of the world sliding into a right-wing turn and noted that thrash and punk grew fastest under Reagan, with DEAD KENNEDYS and METALLICA writing political material that made him want to be a musician. In 2022 he called Brazil's then-president Jair Bolsonaro "the worst president ever."
He also made the case that metal's audience is the least exclusionary in popular music. "It's a great family. The heavy metal community is a beautiful family. Very inclusive. No bullshit, no cancelations. [When JUDAS PRIEST singer] Rob Halford came [out publicly] about being homosexual, you didn't see any cancelation. Everybody really embraced [him]… [There are a lot of] women [in the scene], a lot of women bands. We have a black singer, Derrick Green. So many elements that heavy metal, it's built on it… SEPULTURA visited more than 80 countries in 42 years of a story, of a career. It's amazing, how music opened the doors, regardless of politics, dictatorship or religion."
SEPULTURA play their last-ever concert on November 7, 2026 at Mercado Livre Arena Pacaembu in São Paulo. The bill includes METAL ALLEGIANCE — Mike Portnoy of DREAM THEATER, Alex Skolnick and Chuck Billy of TESTAMENT, Phil Demmel formerly of MACHINE HEAD, Troy Sanders of MASTODON and founder Mark Menghi — plus KRISIUN and SACRED REICH, with former members including Jean Dolabella and Jairo Guedz expected to appear.
The band recently released the EP "The Cloud Of Unknowing" via Nuclear Blast, and is assembling a live album built from 40 songs recorded in 40 different cities across the farewell run.
Source: blabbermouth.net