Soulfly at the Gramercy Theatre

Max Cavalera

Born and raised in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Massimiliano "Max" Cavalera and his family were in a state of financial crisis and family turbulence when he founded thrash/groove metal band Sepultura in 1984. In the early 1990s, Max relocated to Phoenix, Arizona, and introduced a side project called Nailbomb in 1994, but that project split after one album and two public performances in 1995. He remained Sepultura's lead singer and rhythm guitarist until 1996. He then initiated Soulfly as his main band in 1997, but later also launched several side projects, including the Cavalera Conspiracy in 2007 and Killer Be Killed in 2011. Soulfly has released 10 studio albums, the most recent being 2015's Archangel.

Nailbomb was a quick blip in the metal landscape and was abandoned for two decades until Cavalera announced in April 2017 that Soulfly would perform Nailbomb's Point Blank album on a five-week fall tour. That tour tonight came to the Gramercy Theatre, with a lineup that consisted of vocalist/guitarist Max Cavalera, lead guitarist Marc Rizzo, bassist Mike Leon, vocalist/synthesizer player Igor Cavalera  and drummer/percussionist Zyon Cavalera (the last two being Max's stepsons, both also in opening act Lody Kong). Soulfly played the entire Nailbomb album, extending it with a guitar solo during which only Rizzo remained on stage. For about 50 minutes, Soulfly hammered Nailbomb's brutal metal assault with its industrial beats and thrash guitar riffs. This was not typical Soulfly, in that the band stored away its signature tribal beats and world music influences, and instead became a Nailbomb tribute band. With Nailbomb co-founder Alex Newport absent, the concert felt more like a showcase for Max and the new generation of Cavaleras, with father and son frequently up front and alternating vocals and Igor's synthesizers dominating many sections. Nevertheless, it was a night of solid metal mayhem that pleased most anyone within earshot.

Visit Soulfly at www.soulfly.com.

Setlist:

1. Wasting Away (Nailbomb cover)
2. Vai Toma No Cú (Nailbomb cover)
3. 24 Hour Bullshit (Nailbomb cover)
4. Guerrillas (Nailbomb cover)
5. Blind and Lost (Nailbomb cover)
6. Sum of Your Achievements (Nailbomb cover)
7. Cockroaches (Nailbomb cover)
8. For Fuck's Sake (Nailbomb cover)
9. World of Shit (Nailbomb cover)
10. Exploitation (Doom cover)
11. Religious Cancer (Nailbomb cover)
12. Shit Piñata (Nailbomb cover)
13. Sick Life (Nailbomb cover)