MAX AND IGGOR CAVALERA CONAN/HEALING MAGIC
FORUM, LONDON
Brazil’s brothers in arms unearth more back-catalogue classics
A COUPLE OF
years after revisiting the Roots album, the Cavalera brothers are back in London to reclaim another chunk of the classic Sepultura back catalogue that they were so instrumental in creating. First, though, Arizona’s noise enthusiasts HEALING MAGIC and Scouse doom trio CONAN take to the stage to get everyone’s neck muscles warmed up. The former are gloriously boisterous and clearly delighted to be here, but the latter really nail their slot, the hulking sludgy riffs mixed with frontman
Jon Davis’s no-nonsense onstage persona feels like the perfect aperitif for the headliners.
It’s been 30 years since Sepultura’s legendary Beneath The Remains was released, 28 since its equally excellent follow-up, Arise, and in that time both albums have become essential listening for any fan of heavy metal.
So, MAX AND IGGOR CAVALERA have a wildly excited crowd, thirsty for those songs, in front of them before they even play a single note. It would take something fairly monumental for them to fail in these circumstances, and from
the moment that guitar tone rings out through the Forum during the opening of Beneath The Remains’ title track the brothers don’t put a foot wrong. Inner Self, Mass Hypnosis, Dead Embryonic
Cells, Altered State – these are songs fundamental to the tapestry of metal, and seeing the two men who created them still able to thrash them out three decades later is an absolute joy. A shout is also needed to guitarist Marc Rizzo, who nails those screaming Andreas Kisser solos every time, and has been a fantastic foil to Max for many years now. Ultimately, this is a nostalgia trip, but it’s hard to argue against it when it feels so, so good. We get a run-through two Motörhead covers, Orgasmatron and Ace Of Spades, complete with an entire Cavalera clan on backing vocals, and a quick run through Refuse/resist
as well for good measure. “When we played the Marquee in 1989 we opened with this song”, says Max before Primitive Future. Who knows where the years have gone, but music this good cannot be ravaged by time. They’ll still sound as good in 2049.
STEPHEN HILL