Cavalera blasted away the years on Thursday night (14th June 2024), with a set of proto-thrash and speed metal that focused solely on the brothers' roots. Featuring material from the earliest days of Sepultura, brothers Max and Iggor proved an unstoppable force at Dublin's Academy.
The hottest ticket in town, the show was a complete sell out, and with chants of "SEPULTURA SEPULTURA", it was clear this was a night of pure nostalgia.
Focusing exclusively on Sepultura's earliest years, with the majority of the material coming from their debut 1985 EP 'Bestial Devastation' and its long from follow-up 'Morbid Visions' [1986], the brothers stripped away the years to reclaim their legacy in brutally devastating fashion.
With a band completed by another Cavalera - Max's son Igor Amadeus Cavalera - on bass and Travis Stone on lead guitar, the four piece proved utterly convincing, with a sound as tight as the complex riffs and beats that made the songs.
Opening with the title track of that nascent debut, with its relentless rhythms, time changes, and sheer power, it was clear that the signs of their later success were there from day one. Following with 'Antichrist' - sadly, not the reworked 'Anticop' version from the early 1990s - it was clear that this was going to be a an utterly punishing night.
Greeting the crowd, Max declared; "tonight we give you original classics of black metal [from] 1983!" before launching into a blistering 'Necromancer'. With no detail overlooked, from Stone's on-point white high top trainers to the era-specific cheap echo on Max's voice, it was as close as you could get to the band's beginnings without the need for a time machine.
Introducing "the hands of Thor, Igor 'Skullcrusher' Cavalera" - a nod to the credits of 'Bestial Devastation' - 'Warriors of Death' was just the latest track to show off the otherworldly hard hitting skills of the revered player.
Going into act two with a mood setting intro featuring Carl Orff's 'O Fortuna' [more commonly known as Ozzy Osbourne's live intro theme] there was no let up as the speed metal kept coming, from a relentless 'Crucifixion' to a dramatic 'Funeral Rites', and fan-favourite set closing conjunction 'Inquisition Symphony / Escape to the Void'.
Encoring with the relatively later period classics 'Refuse / Resist' and 'Territory' [1993], and 'Troops of Doom' [1991], the crowd predictably went wild, with moshing, slam dancing, circle pits and more, which led Max to sign off declaring; "we love you Dublin! Great gig tonight We love coming back to this shit".
With Sepultura winding down in 2025, and talk of a reunion never far from discussion among fans and in the press, it seems that now is the perfect time to consider taking that final step. Whether that happens or not remains to be seen, but on this showing, Cavalera have convincingly reclaimed their past.
Focusing exclusively on Sepultura's earliest years, with the majority of the material coming from their debut 1985 EP 'Bestial Devastation' and its long from follow-up 'Morbid Visions' [1986], the brothers stripped away the years to reclaim their legacy in brutally devastating fashion.
With a band completed by another Cavalera - Max's son Igor Amadeus Cavalera - on bass and Travis Stone on lead guitar, the four piece proved utterly convincing, with a sound as tight as the complex riffs and beats that made the songs.
Opening with the title track of that nascent debut, with its relentless rhythms, time changes, and sheer power, it was clear that the signs of their later success were there from day one. Following with 'Antichrist' - sadly, not the reworked 'Anticop' version from the early 1990s - it was clear that this was going to be a an utterly punishing night.
Greeting the crowd, Max declared; "tonight we give you original classics of black metal [from] 1983!" before launching into a blistering 'Necromancer'. With no detail overlooked, from Stone's on-point white high top trainers to the era-specific cheap echo on Max's voice, it was as close as you could get to the band's beginnings without the need for a time machine.
Introducing "the hands of Thor, Igor 'Skullcrusher' Cavalera" - a nod to the credits of 'Bestial Devastation' - 'Warriors of Death' was just the latest track to show off the otherworldly hard hitting skills of the revered player.
Going into act two with a mood setting intro featuring Carl Orff's 'O Fortuna' [more commonly known as Ozzy Osbourne's live intro theme] there was no let up as the speed metal kept coming, from a relentless 'Crucifixion' to a dramatic 'Funeral Rites', and fan-favourite set closing conjunction 'Inquisition Symphony / Escape to the Void'.
Encoring with the relatively later period classics 'Refuse / Resist' and 'Territory' [1993], and 'Troops of Doom' [1991], the crowd predictably went wild, with moshing, slam dancing, circle pits and more, which led Max to sign off declaring; "we love you Dublin! Great gig tonight We love coming back to this shit".
With Sepultura winding down in 2025, and talk of a reunion never far from discussion among fans and in the press, it seems that now is the perfect time to consider taking that final step. Whether that happens or not remains to be seen, but on this showing, Cavalera have convincingly reclaimed their past.