As you may remember, we interviewed Celtic metallers Waylander back in issue 2 before they were signed by Century Media. Now we talk to Michael again to see how they've been getting on since then...
How have things been for you since you signed to Century
Media?
Good and bad, like everything. The good part obviously was getting
to go to Germany and recording the first album. It makes you think that think fairly
highly of us. But we're not really happy with the distribution of the album. There's only
two or three shops in the whole of Ireland where you can get it, and that's just not on
although we are getting it sorted. Another bad point of course is that they left my name
off the cover of the album which is a bit stupid.
Was it just a one album deal you signed?
I don't really deal with the technical bits, but I think it's one
album and a tour, then after that we'll see how it goes. If the album and tour go well,
then who knows, they might offer us another deal.
Will that tour include Britain? Century Media tend to
send bands endlessly aroung Europe but ignore Britain.
Yeah, that will include a British tour. We're
actually hoping to get over in the summer ourselves even if we don't have the tour by
then. Do a few gigs, meet a few people, generally have a holiday.
Are you fairly happy with the way the future's looking?
It's looking pretty good. On all accounts the album is
pretty posular among people we're been talking to, although reviews in Britain haven't
been too good, but then the British never seem to go overboard about new bands.
How long did you get to record the album?
We flew out on the 1st of January at 4am, and that was an
absolute nightmare. We came home on the 18th I think, and we spent about two weeks
recording.
Are you happy with the way the recording turned out?
Very happy. Very very happy. The five of us are all dead
proud of it, and in out own eyes it's the bee's knees. That's really what we wanted,
something we could sit back and enjoy ourselves. Andy Classen
(producer) did a tremendous job on it. We didn't have time to stay for the mixing, so he
mixed a few selected tracks while we were there which he chose just to get the vibe of the
whole thing. He talked to us and we gave him vague instructions and told him to go for it.
We're very pleased with what he's done.
Why isn't the title track from your last demo (Dawning Of
A New Age) on the album?
A wee bit of controversy about this one, cos I wanted to
include it but everybody else didn't. The only reason for that is we sort of thought it
was probably the weakest song. We always knew we would re-work Sunrise,
it was written in one night while we were up in the studio recording and we just got into
the vibe and went for it basically, then got the vibe in the studio and sort tof re-worked
it. We might take a look at Dawning for the second album
depending on how things go, cos we're working on another song off the first demo. A lot of
people at home have been asking us to play it live, but we refuse cos it's crap! The
lyrics are good and there are a couple of good riffs in it so we're gonna change it. We're
also doing another cover of an Irish traditional tune.
Have you got anything written for a new album yet?
We haven't anything properly written, the only two we're
really concentrating on are the re-writes 'This Cannot Be' and
the Irish song.
Will it be roughly the same style as it is at the moment?
Well Ciaran suggested that we go a bit more atmospheric
sort of. More ancient folklore in the lyrics, the mysticism about the Pagans and Druids,
so we're talking about a mystical album. We'll see how things progress. But I'm sure
there'll still be a few heavy tunes, if I have anything to do with it! We couldn't change
totally. You wouldn't do a Paradist Lost on us?
Definitely not....
Top three albums of all time:
Ah no! Damn you! (sorry)
Live After Death (Maiden) has to be there, Volume 4
(Sabbath), and Dreamweaver
(Sabbat).
What's the last album you bought? Iron Maiden, Virtual XI
Do you like it? Yes
A lot? Nearly!
What was the last gig you went to? I think it was Entombed in Belfast
That was the day before we interviewed them, and they said it was a really good gig,
quote: 'We played Ireland yesterday for the first time, and that was amazing.
Really cool.'
It was absolutely amazine. I think there was about 500 people there, which is
absolutely unbelievable for a gig in the north, the best crown I've ever seen there. Not
far from the likes of Slayer or Iron Maiden. Probably the second best gig
I've ever been at.
What was the best? Iron Maiden need you ask
Are you going to be going to Ozzfest?
Yes, definitely I'll not miss it. I'm absolutely flat broke and I
can't afford it, and I've borrowed money to pay for my deposit and I've no money to pay it
back or pay the rest of the money, but I'm going!
Who do you think will be the best band there? Black Sabbath
Silly question really. Second best? Slayer. I haven't seen them live yet. I
missed the last one because I was skint yet again, and Carcass were playing a couple of weeks after and I'd already bought my Carcass ticket so I couldn't afford the Slayer one. Carcass was brilliant.
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Kevin |
Not being exactly what you would call experienced at the art of interviewing I found myself slightly daunted by the fact that I was going to be interviewing Max Cavalera, a man who I grew up listening to and respect deeply. Recently Max himself has gone through some well publicised problems and this added extra pressure in that I did not want to stray onto any ground which may bring up some memories best left to lie. The fact that I may have to do the interview myself brought even further worries but the last minute addition of Attitude's new roving reporter Elaine McCartney eased some of those fears. However on the day there were to be a few more twists in the tale. Arriving at the venue we firstly couldn't find our contact which meant that we eventually had to walk up to Max's tour bus and basically force ourselves upon Gloria Cavalera (Max's extremely efficient wife). Gloria then preceded to tell us that we wouldn't be interviewing Max but instead we could talk to Soulfly's bassist Marcello. This threw a spanner in the works. Who is this Marcello guy? Oh no all our questions relate to Max. What if he's a wanker and tells us to fuck off?!?
In the end however Marcello and Roy (Soulfly's spiky haired drummer) proved to be extremely cool guys who obviously have a passion and belief in what they're doing. Read on to find out the truth about Soulfly's rhythm section...
We thought we might be interviewing Max.
Yeah his throat is really fucked up right now so
he's trying to save his voice for the gig.
What's the deal with Logan?
We talked to Jackson Bandeira (Guitarist on soulfly album)
as he wasn't a band member he was just a guest on the album. He's got a band in Brazil but
he had the option to stay with us. We talked to him after doing the Bleed single to see if
he'd do these shows but we knew had some gigs with his other band in Brazil. He decided to
go back to Brazil which is cool with us cause we really respect him.
Will he do any work with Soulfly in the future?
We don't know what's going to happen. As soon as we
didn't have a guitarist and we heard Logan quit Machine Head we decided to call him. He
didn't have anything to do so he said he'd help us out with the tour.
So Logan's just here for the tour
Well its like this if he fits well as friend cause a
band is like a marriage. You're going to be together for at least a decade so you don't
want to get someone you don't know. But he's been doing really well and he's a really nice
guy so maybe he will become a real Soulfly band member.
Are you worried that because of Logan you may have a
rivalry with Machine Head?
I don't think so. I don't know what happened there but I
respect Machine Head and the same thing happened with Sepultura but still we respect each
other. A lot of people are talking about stuff but its people who have no idea what is
really going on. Soulfly has no problem with either Sepultura or Machine Head. We just
want to concentrate on Soulfly and make this band happen. This band is still really fresh.
So I guess you're looking forward to Ozzfest.
Hell yeah, we're just going to go there and fuck
shit up.
What do you think about you're perhaps unusually high
position on the bill?
Yeah that's true but I believe the position is due
to what the fans want to see. I took it as a big surprise too. Its really cool.
What bands are you most looking forward to seeing at
Ozzfest?
Its a really great bill. I mean I love Limp Bizkit
and was an old Slayer fan so I want to see them too. Besides Ozzy and Black Sabbath. I
grew up listening to them and they're one of my biggest influences. Geezer Butlers he's
the man, I mean fuck I saw them twice on the last Ozzfest that Sepultura played cause I
worked for Sepultura as a lighting designer. Its better now because I'm in a band as well
so I'm more confident in talking to them now.
If you had to jam with Black Sabbath for one song
which would you pick?
I'd probably just faint but one of my favourite songs is
Children of the Grave.
Yeah that's fucking brilliant.
I know man it's just so groovy.
Which band would you like to see included on the
Ozzfest bill?
That's kinda hard. I haven't seen that many good
bands lately. I'd like to see the Deftones. We played with them on the first Soulfly gig
and I'd like to play with them again.
Would you say you're more into the new wave music
than the older stuff?
I like anything, from classical to heavy. Hardcore
is more roots you now GBH and Discharge and the Ramones. Lately I've been listening to a
lot of World Music like Brazilian music which helps to open your mind and gives you a good
average to write stuff.
How long have you known Max?
Twelve years. I met them after Bestial Devastation.
I was in a band and they came to my time to play. We were about 14 and we became really
good friends and I started helping them out at their shows. They started touring more than
my band so I decided to quit my band and tour with them.
Are you mainly attracting Sepultura fans to your
shows?
I think we're going to pick up a lot of new fans but
right now its mainly Sepultura fans. You know that's normal cause everybody seems to want
to support Max and Soulfly.
Are you going to watch the World Cup?
Oh yeah definitely I've got to be there!
Who's going to win between SCOTLAND and brazil?
Do you know when the date is? I've got to watch it.
Everyone's sayings Brazil's the favourite but I don't know we've not been doing that well
lately.
You'll still trounce us man, you always beat us by
one goal!
I don't know Scotland have a chance to win.
Yeah a very small chance
I don't know I think you'll be surprised. I hope
Brazil will win. The last World Cup we watched the last two matches and brought the drums
and everything we just went crazy.
Who do you support?
I support Corinthians. I had trials with them when I
was young but music started to take too much of my time so I had to quit. Max supports
Palmeiros. There's a lot of rivalry between us. I hate that team man!
We've got Rangers and Celtic
Yeah I kinda like Celtic
(Roy Enters)
Do you play football on tour?
M: We haven't had time yet. Maybe later on.
R: I'm going to wear my kilt tonight
Will you be going true Scotsman?
R: I should but I'm not true Scot, I'm
Latin man!
M: (Pointing at my Kilmarnock top) this is the local team?
No that's a bad team!!! Look its got squirrels on
it!!!
(Much hilarity ensues)
R: That's great man. I never saw that!
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Graeme + Elaine |
Yeeeeeeaaaaaaah Iceman, how'ya doin'?
Not bad man.
Alriiiiiiiight
Which member of the band is it I'm speaking to again?
M.C.U.D.
No problem man
Right, that's greeeaaaat. I'm the man on the
microphone. We've got a gig tonight, we got here yesterday.
Where is it you're playing?
We're playing at the Barfly in Camden yeeeaaaaah.
We're real excited. Where are you?
We're actually in Glasgow just now. I hope you'll be coming
up here after Ozzfest?
I think so.
So, questions: When and how did you all get together?
Huntingdon Beach, Long Beach, southern California.
What happened is that me and Wesstyle got together and decided we wanted to do
this music. Wes brought in B.C. which was a drummer that he had known and been
playing with, I brought in Mark who was the bass player that I had been fucking
around with, and then at a local bar we got our DJ Product. So it happened really
fast. Chizad was my room-mate before he was in the band so we brought him in and
then it was a done deal.
How long ago was that?
Oh man, that was like '95 I think, or something like
that.
I noticed on your biog that you site influences such as
Dr Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog. Is there any others you can think of?
Oh my influences, lets see.. I love Bob Marley, I love Zeppelin, Black
Sabbath, I love NWA, and I'm really into rap, I could go on and on. Wu Tang Clan. Mary
J Blige, I listen to a lot of soul music, but I also love Marilyn Manson and I love Trent Reznor, I'm a big Nine Inch fan. The list goes on and on. Dead Kennedys.
In the album review I did I mentioned that you sounded a
bit like Fishbone.
Oh Fishbone, I saw Fishbone in
L.A. when they used to have something called the street scene in like '85 and it was
life-changing. They were the most punk rockin' brothers I'd ever seen.
You've been confirmed for Ozzfest, how did you get that?
I don't know how that happened, we're pretty happy
about it I'll tell you that. I know Neurosis dropped off of it and that's how we got on, I don't really know how. It's
just like great, we can't fuckin' wait.
Do you feel comfortable being on a bill like that?
Yeah, not only do we feel comfortable, we feel
privileged, It's a chance y'know? One comment that we get a lot is 'I'm not into rap' or
'hip hop' We're a bunch of punk rock mother
fuckers, not to mince words. When we show up we go, y'know. Whether it
be hip-hop, punk rock, hardcore, it doesn't matter, so we're gonna show up and we're gonna
be the business, right?
How did you get that name Iceman?
It's an old nickname from the way I treat my women actually
<roaring laughter> ha ha ha, right on! oh dear!
So who would you most like to watch at Ozzfest?
Oh wow, OK, lets see, you're gonna ask me that? All
of them y'know? Pantera and Korn and Ozzy and Black Sabbath, I couldn't choose between either of those bands. All four of them just
got my respect. The ones that I mentioned are the ones that I'm mostly into.
If you could add another band to the Ozzfest bill, which
one would it be?
Let me think, that's a good question. I would put Manson, Manson was on last year, cos that's the band I most want to see right now cos
I'm a fan but I've never got to see them.
They're getting a bit of a backlash over here right now I've
heard.
Why, because of the content lyrically?
No, because of all the hype. A lot of people were expecting
too much I think.
Oh I see, yeah, you can't please everybody. Like I say with
our stuff, it's not for everybody the same way I don't like everything. Marilyn Manson just hit a nerve, plus look
who produces them, Trent Reznor,
who I love.
So after the gig in London you're going on tour with Life
Of Agony. Is that the UK or Europe or what?
Yeah, we go from Amsterdam all over. I couldn't tell
you where exactly, but it starts tomorrow. We're going everywhere!
Do you know if you're coming up to Scotland at all?
I don't know, we're playing so many different dates.
So when will you be expecting to do a headline tour over
here then?
Oh my god! I couldn't tell you, I could not tell
you. I've no fuckin idea man. I just put my head down and do my job and I've no idea
what's coming up. Business will fuck you up.
So how are you feeling before the gig tonight?
Tonight? I feel like a million dollars. I feel as
strong as a horse right now. I'm high man! It didn't take me long man!
One of our friends came up with a good question there, do
you like soundchecking?
NO NO NO I hate it!!!! And I'm only the singer so
all I've got to do is get up there! I bet everyone else hates it too, it's just a
necessity, right? A lot of times since we're on the bottom of the pile, we don't get a
fucking soundcheck. We just get thrown up there and that's it.
If there was one band in the world that you could do away
with, who would it be?
Ah, why ya gotta ask that! I'll tell ya fucking, oh
man I shouldn't even say it. Ah, I'm not even gonna answer that question. I've got bands
in mind right, but that's just too mean! Believe me I've got a mouthfull of shit if I
wanna talk shit, but I need to be kind of diplomatic. Everybody's trying to get theirs,
but I'll tell you we've had problems from several fucking bands talking shit on us.
Screwing us out of getting certain tours. But I'd just like to say, they're in bands, they
should just shut up! Especially if it's a band that's successful already. You don't stop
nothing with violence, so we're not going to go out there and spank people for talking
shit! We're just trying to get something, y'know? But it'll all work out
How did you get the name Hed(pe)?
OK, well it started off just as Hed, and that came
from one of out first songs called Heavy Hed. Look, I gotta go to soundcheck, they're like
dragging me!
OK, I hope to see you up in Glasgow soon.
OK my man, nice talking to ya.
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Iceman |