Cavalera has become synonymous with extreme metal music, a name that to this day still holds the highest regard, a family legacy built upon decades of musical aggression. In 2023, Max and Iggor Cavalera achieved what some would say was an impossible feat; they revisited their earliest Sepultura releases, Morbid Visions, and Bestial Devastation, and re-recorded them with bone-breaking intensity. A risk that few would dare to even attempt, yet they artfully and prolifically attained their trademark raw sound by means that could only be described as magic or time travel.
It seems that the ball would not stop rolling as now they are entering the final chapter of their early-days trilogy. Schizophrenia is an iconic album in terms of early thrash and death metal, a household name for those of us invested in extreme metal. This was the point where the Cavaleras refined their dark, dingy, speed-influenced songs, into something a bit more mature, developed, and technical. Decades later, they have once more unlocked the asylum that is Schizophrenia, opening the doors to that banished, twisted recording which will be unleashed unto to world on June 21 via Nuclear Blast Records.
Finland's Chaoszine caught up with Max Cavalera to discuss the re-recording of Schizophrenia, originally released in 1987, family, and Finnish bands. Check out the interview below.
On the original recording of Schizophrenia and re-recording early Sepultura material:
"I'm very proud of it. I think it's a great testament to the power of those songs, of the time, but I think to re-live them in this re-recording is the coolest thing ever. We did it with Morbid Visions and Bestial Devastation, and the reception was phenomenal. I felt great because I wanted to revisit those songs and give them the treatment they deserve; how I imagined them to be when I was a kid with a shit studio, shitty gear. Now we have the means at our disposal to make a great recording, but (we) don't lose the raw brutality of the original. And that is key, that's super important."
The first taste of the reissue comes in the form of the live music video for the single, "Escape To The Void". Fans will enjoy footage filmed by Costin Chioreanu & Olivia Chioreanu from the band's chilling performance at 013 Venue in Tilburg, Netherlands, 2023.
Max Cavalera states, "The Third World Trilogy is finally complete with Schizophrenia, Bestial Devastation, and Morbid Visions, all three Brazilian underground gems! To me, Schizophrenia is the ultimate death/ thrash experiment! I was inspired to take on the world and this recording shows my commitment is relentless! This one is for all the generations to enjoy! Play at Max volume!"
Iggor Cavalera comments, “1987 was a very progressive year for metal, with releases like Celtic Frost Into The Pandemonium, Voivod Killing Technology, and Bathory Under The Sign Of The Black Mark, so it was no surprise on how we approached Schizophrenia pushing our boundaries from a black/death metal sound to a more thrash metal aesthetics. We still had some ideas from Morbid Visions and some new songs. I’m very proud of the songwriting and even more proud of our re-recordings.”
No stranger to collaborations, the Cavalera brothers enlisted Travis Stone (Pig Destroyer) on lead guitars, and that choice becomes obvious within the first song. The full lineup would consist of more Cavalera alumni, as Igor Amadeus Cavalera (Go Ahead And Die, Healing Magic) once more brought his talents on bass to the fold. Thundering and thrumming the low end with brute force, it is clear that the double Iggor and Igor combination is a rhythm section to be reckoned with.
It should come as no surprise that the Cavalera brothers always felt that these songs deserved a fresh take with modern production. From April 15 to June 5, 2023 the band re-recorded the album at Focusrite Room in Mesa Arizona. Mixing and mastering was handled by Arthur Rizk.
Schizophrenia’s album cover has obsessed and fascinated fans for decades. The brothers left no stone unturned and no detail unnoticed, also revisioning the original cover artwork of the album, restored in hand-painted watercolors by Eliran Kantor.
Stream the "Escape To The Void" single on all platforms here. Watch the live music video, edited and directed by Costin Chioreanu, below.
Pre-order/pre-save Schizophrenia here.
Schizophrenia tracklisting:
"Intro" - Re-Recorded
"From The Past Comes The Storms" - Re-Recorded
"To The Wall" - Re-Recorded
"Escape To The Void" - Re-Recorded
"Inquisition Symphony" - Re-Recorded
"Screams Behind The Shadows" - Re-Recorded
"Septic Schizo" - Re-Recorded
"The Abyss" - Re-Recorded
"R.I.P. (Rest In Pain)" - Re-Recorded
"Nightmares Of Delirium" - New, never released
"Escape To The Void" video:
This summer, Cavalera will be traveling across Europe and the UK on their Third World Trilogy tour. The trek will kick off on June 12 in Leichester and will make stops in Wroclaw, Oslo, and Barcelona before ending in Switzerland on July 21.
Purchase your tickets, here.
Tour dates:
June
12 - Leicester, UK - O2 Academy 2
13 - Dublin, Ireland - The Academy
14 - Belfast, Ireland - Limelight
16 - Glasgow, UK - King Tuts
17 - Newcastle, UK - Riverside
18 - Sheffield, UK - Corporation
20 - Dessel, Belgium - Graspop Metal Meeting
21 - Rostock, Germany - M.A.U. Club
22 - Gdansk, Poland - B90
23 - Wroclaw, Poland - A2
24 - Poznan, Poland - Tama
25 - Bochum, Germany - Matrix
27 - Malmo, Sweden - Plan B
28 - Gothenburg, Sweden - Pustervik
29 - Oslo, Norway - Tons Of Rock Festival
July
2 - Lyon, France - La'Rayonne
3 - Pamplona, Spain - Totem
4 - Madrid, Spain - Le Sala
5 - Barcelona, Spain - Barcelona Rock Fest
6 - Marseille, France - Julien
7 - Vicenza, Italy - Metal Park Festival
9 - Kranj, Slovenia - Subart Open Air
10 - Pula, Croatia - Open Air Klub Kotac
11 - Dornbirn, Austria - Conrad Sohm
12 - Dunaujvaros, Hungary - Rockmaraton Festival
13 - Vizovice, Czech Republic - Masters Of Rock
14 - Novi Sad, Serbia - Exit Festival
15 - Sofia, Bulgaria - Maimunarnika
18 - Cluj-Napoca, Romania - - Electric Castle
With the impressive catalog that the Cavalera brothers have created over the years, you will soon see that Schizophrenia will also sit amongst their greatest achievements. Max and Iggor have relinquished an album that for many years was locked away behind rusty, iron cell doors, barred by straight jackets and haunted by madness. From the past comes the storms as Schizophrenia is set loose on the world once more!
Cavalera is:
Max Cavalera - Vocals, Guitar
Iggor Cavalera - Drums, Percussion
Igor Amadeus Cavalera - Bass
Travis Stone - Lead Guitar
