Los Angeles metal fiends lost their minds last weekend when Max and Igor Cavalera stormed through town playing a psyche-shattering set of thrash metal classics. This “Return Beneath Arise Tour” celebrated the brothers’ former band’s [the still rocking but 100% Cavalera-less; Sepultura] finest hour: the insane Beneath The Remains and Arise era of the late ’80s and early ’90s. Sepultura would evolve into an immensely popular heavy metal juggernaut later in the decade before Max split to form Soulfly and Igor’s eventual exit in the early 2000s and the brothers reuniting in Cavalera Conspiracy; but during this aforementioned period, the Cavalera-led Sepultura was the sickest underground metal band in the world.

The sold-out crowd inside The Belasco was freaking hyped to witness an entire night of stone-cold thrash metal mayhem. The back from hiatus grinders in Cephalic Carnage were wrapping up their ridiculously heavy set as we settled in. Cephalic was one of the raddest live bands in the 2000’s extreme metal scene, mixing grindcore, death metal, and wicked humor into chaotic fun onstage. Watching them rip through “Lucid Interval” and “Black Metal Sabbath” was like the cherry on top of an already poised to be an epic night.

CEPHALIC CARNAGE

The Cavalera brothers took the stage, accompanied by Soulfly bassist Mike Leon and Possessed guitarist Daniel Gonzalez, and opened with the title track off Beneath The Remains and the bodies almost immediately started flying over the security barricade. Max Cavalera’s gravelly scream is one of the most unique and iconic voices in metal and it was great to hear him belt out songs he hasn’t played in decades.

Of course the audience was singing along damn near word for word, shouting along like they were all long lost Sepultura members themselves. Igor Cavalera was one of the most ferocious drummers around before he became the kingpin of grooves and tribal rhythms. Watching Igor annihilate his snare drum with Max headbanging beside him among a packed house shouting the chorus to “Mass Hypnosis” was totally surreal. Major props to Daniel Gonzalez on lead guitar, his solos sounded like a 4K remaster of the originals from the albums and were nothing short of jaw dropping.

Max and Igor Cavalera are up there with the Van Halens and the Abotts from Pantera when it comes to kickass sibling guitar/drum duos. If you ever get the chance to watch these legends rock out on stage together, you better take it!

MAX & IGOR CAVALERA