Master of Savagery

Album: Savages (2013)
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Songfacts®:

  • Soulfly lead singer Max Cavalera has written thousands of guitar riffs, but he says this is one of his favorites. "I really like the groove of the song," he told us. "It's very similar to older Soulfly stuff, like Prophecy, Dark Ages, Soulfly I. It's a really catchy, heavy groove."
  • This is a track from Savages, the ninth studio album by the Brazilian Metal group. The record was the first to feature drummer Zyon Cavalera, frontman Max's son, in a full-time capacity after the departure of David Kinkade in 2012. Said Max: "I worked for the first time on a full album with my son, Zyon. Before recording the album I first worked closely at home with him in preproduction, and it was great to spend weeks on the songs with Zyon, shaping the sound of the record. Zyon did a great job and he hits really hard just like his uncle Igor."

    "It was amazing recording with my son," he added. A whole record! A dream come true for a father whose life is dedicated to metal. 'Savages' is a celebration of all that."
  • About three minutes into this song, it breaks down to just the bass, then gets - as Max Cavalera says - "super heavy." Max had to refuse/resist the temptation to add vocals. "I was tempted to sing on top of it," he said in our interview. "I even tried once. Then I was like, 'No, let's leave it open, just let the music take control and be just this cool, heavy part on the song.'"
  • The cover artwork for Savages was created by renowned artist Paul Stottler, who is best known for his work on Sacred Reich's legendary Surf Nicaragua cover.
  • Max Cavalera explained to Metal Exiles the journey he wanted to take his listeners on the album. "The idea of Savages was that with all of our progress and technology we are all still killing each other, decapitating, blowing up marathons, doing all of these savage acts so at heart we are all still Savages," he said. "A lot of the lyrics are based around that theme even though this is not a concept record. It is almost like there is something wrong with us, like we are born with Savagery in us and we cannot get rid of it."

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