Max Cavalera says that SOULFLY fans will likely have to wait until next year to hear the band's twelfth album. The Brazilian-born musician and his bandmates have spent the last few months working on the follow-up to 2018's "Ritual" at Platinum Underground in Phoenix, Arizona with producer Arthur Rizk, who has previously worked with CAVALERA CONSPIRACY, POWER TRIP and CODE ORANGE.
In a new interview with Finland's Kaaos TV, Max stated about the upcoming SOULFLY disc (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We're just working on it. We're still just developing it. It's in the early stages of being recorded. We recorded some, and we have to record a little bit more. But we're just really taking our time. I don't think it's gonna come out this year, because we already have [the debut album from Max's] GO AHEAD DIE [project] coming out in June. So there's not really a hurry to make something fast. So we're just gonna take it easy and do it little by little. So probably we'll have it finished for next year.
"It's all right, because SOULFLY has always been there," he continued. "I really like the vibe that SOULFLY has; it's a very unique vibe in the metal world. So I don't really worry too much about SOULFLY. For me, it was really actually fun to step out of it to make GO AHEAD AND DIE and [the second album from] KILLER BE KILLED, because I just learned so much from those projects. And I think that also influenced the SOULFLY record, the works of those projects."
Last month, Max told Chris Enriquez of Saint Vitus Presents: Age Of Quarantine that Rizk took the new SOULFLY project "super seriously. He said, 'Hey, Max, I don't wanna do just another SOULFLY record. I wanna do the best SOULFLY record,'" he recalled. 'I was, like, 'All right. I take the challenge. Let's do it, man.'"
As for the musical direction of the new SOULFLY material, Max said: "It's full-on. I think it's got kind of like the best of all the years. I think it's a compilation Max Cavalera record of the whole 50 years. [Laughs] That's what it feels like — it's got old stuff, it's got middle stuff, it's got very SOULFLY vibes. It's got a lot of groove. It's got a lot of fast stuff. We're in the process of finishing it up right now. Hopefully it's gonna come out this year."
In December, Max told the "Sappenin' Podcast With Sean Smith" about the songwriting process for the new SOULFLY album: "The cool thing about Zyon, the way he plays drums, is he's a bit like a wild animal — he has no restraint, man, and he just unleashes on the drum kit. Pure, pure brutality power drumming, and I love that. So that takes me back to a lot of the early records that I like — a lot of the old ENTOMBED stuff and CARCASS and NAPALM DEATH; out-of-control shit. So I think we have that kind of spirit going on on a lot of the new tracks."
Last June, SOULFLY released a new digital EP, "Live Ritual NYC MMXIX". The effort was recorded at The Gramercy in New York City on February 11, 2019 while SOULFLY was on tour in support of its most recent full-length album, "Ritual". The audio for the EP was mixed and mastered by Charles Elliott (ABYSMAL DAWN) from Tastemaker Audio. Cover artwork was comprised of live photos taken by Rodrigo Fredes.
"Ritual" was released in October 2018 via Nuclear Blast. The follow-up to 2015's "Archangel" was produced, recorded and mixed by Josh Wilbur (KILLER BE KILLED, LAMB OF GOD, GOJIRA).
GO AHEAD AND DIE features Max along with his son, singer, guitar and bass player Igor Amadeus Cavalera, as well as Zach Coleman on drums. The band's self-titled debut album will be released on June 11 via Nuclear Blast.
