Cavalera - Chaos in London

*****

An Unforgettable evening

Cavalera ***** if you are a Max Cavalera and Iggor Cavalera fan, you know all the problems the brothers are having getting the Sepultura name back. The band they formed all though years ago, coming out of Brazil and producing some of the heaviest music possible. But I don't want to talk about all that today, or we will have pages of text to read. I want to talk about Cavalera (Cavalera ,Conspiracy), the band formed by Max and Iggor almost twenty years ago in 2007. And now performing classic Sepultura albums in their entirety, to the delight of all their fans. I first saw this done when they performed at the London, Shepherds Bush, o2 Empire, performing 'Morbid Visions' and 'Bestial Devastation'.

This show was something quite special, and an evening I will never forget. So when I heard they were performing one of my favourite albums ever, 'Chaos A.D.', I was first in line to go to the concert. The current line-up of Cavalera consists of Max Cavalera (Lead Vocals / Rhythm Guitar) and Igor Cavalera (Drums / Percussion), alongside Max's son Igor Amadeus Cavalera (Bass / Backing Vocals) and Travis Stone (Lead Guitar). They are really tight, and the members of the Cavalera family have a great connection with Travis; you really would know that you weren't hearing all the members of the original Sepultura line-up. The songs, when played, are so perfect, and the way that anyone would want them to be played. 

Creepy atmospheric music comes into the room, and anticipation is at a high for Cavalera to start their performance. They don't play Chaos A.D. in the order that it is on the record. Moving around a few songs to make it fit better into a live show. And making fans wait for certain songs, and with how perfect their set is... I think they have made the right move. Ok, the set is short, with only a couple of B-Sides being added to the set. But I have to say, sometimes I like that. Give the audience everything in a shorter period of time, rather than making them wait through overdone drum and guitar solos and songs that most of them don't know as well. Play a short set with everything they want, and they are left wanting more. 

Opening with the biggest single off the album 'Chaos A.D.', 'Refuse/Resist', you know it is going to kick off straight away. With mass moshing, pushing and crowd surfers. The latter of the three, I don't totally agree with. Especially after having a bad concussion and almost going blind from getting hit in the back of the head by crowd surfers at a Pantera concert. I had had retinal surgery earlier in the year, but other people also have problems if they get hit by a crowd surfer. They would be seriously affected. Look at the girl in America who died from being hit in the head by a crowd surfer. So I have to say I am not a fan of this activity, but I also have to say that the staff at the Electric Ballroom dealt with them very well. Maybe the best I have seen staff dealing with them, so everyone was safe and protected.

Max vocals sound better than ever, and he looks in really good shape as he shreds on his very cool black and grey guitar. I have to say I would love one of these guitars for myself, so I will check into if there is a signature model of this one. Songs like 'Slave New World' and 'Amen' drag you into the album more, and the Sepultura World, and make you realise even more how important the album is for heavy music. At the time of release, Roadrunner Records could do no wrong; all my favourite albums came out of Roadrunner Records, and I would buy every album they produced (Well, nearly enough). The riffage and drums on 'Slave New World' are incredible, and the vocals still grab at the heartstrings. This is a big song, and the crowd sings every word of it. 

Little screens on the stage show really cool imagery connected to the 'Chaos A.D.' album, which is really cool, and they have the wrapped-up body from the front of the album sleeve as an amazing-looking prop behind Iggor's drum kit. I was a little worried, because it looked very heavy. And we didn't want a Spinal Tap moment, where it would fall off where it was hung and crush him at his drum kit. 'Kaiowas' shows the elements of what was to come on 'Roots', with its instrumental tribal vibe and acoustic guitars. These were signs of the band moving forward and evolving, and showing that they were more than just a Thrash band. They could involve World music, and sounds of where they came from Belo Horizonte, Brazil. 

And the World was very different from when they started in 1984. Sepultura where a band that knew they had to move with the times. While showing what they had done best for years with songs like 'Propaganda' and 'Biotech is Godzilla'. I always loved their New Model Army cover, and this was strangely one of the highlights of a set that had so many great moments. But I have to say, for me, you don't get better than their track 'Clenched Fist'. This is one of my most played songs off the record, and it was great to see it done live. They end the set with 'Troops of Doom' off the 'Schizophrenia', which I am confused by when they have been making sure they only play songs from 'Chaos A.D.'. Was there a B-Side containing this song, or did they play it a lot around this period?. I should really know the reason they chose to play this song, but I have to admit I don't. So if you do know, please let us know. Maybe it just fitted right in the position it is in the setlist, and it was a good way to end the set. 

They open up the encore with the hard-hitting 'Territory', which had a big impact on me when I heard it done at Monsters of Rock - Donington 94, in my opinion, one of the best one-day festivals to ever happen. It was just so nasty and heavy, and like nothing else I had ever heard. I remember recording it off the radio and playing it on repeat again and again. It is quite a special track for the band's legacy, and one of their most brutal messages. 'Symptom of the Universe' is the perfect song to add to the setlist, with the end of Black Sabbath and the death of our hero, Ozzy Osbourne. It is a really nice tribute to him, and I am so happy to hear it. Sepultura's cover of Black Sabbath's 'Symptom of the Universe' originally debuted on the 1994 tribute album 'Nativity in Black: A Tribute to Black Sabbath'. It later appeared on several Sepultura releases, most notably as a bonus track on the expanded edition of 'Chaos A.D.' and their B-Side / Rarities compilation 'Blood-Rooted'.

They end the set with 'Chaos B.C.', which is a brutal remix of 'Refuse/Resist', so they kind of started things how they ended them. I want to say a massive thank you to all the staff at the London, Camden, Electric Ballroom, they looked after everyone all night and went out of their way to be nice to everyone and make everyone feel safe. This was a very special night, and one that could not be missed. It was so great to hear the classic songs done in the right way, and if you're a Cavalera / Sepultura fan a dream come true. I have to say I can't wait to hear 'Roots' done in the same way, I'll be getting my ticket straight away.

Review and Photos by Dan Devour

Cavalera - Setlist
======================
Refuse/Resist
Slave New World
Amen
Propaganda
Nomad
Manifest
The Hunt (New Model Army Cover)
Kaiowas
We who are not as Others
Clenched Fist
Biotech is Godzilla
Troops of Doom
----------------------------------
Territory
Symptom of the Universe (Black Sabbath Cover)
Chaos B.C.

Check Out! the Video for 'Slave New World' Below...