sepultura interview

 

 RRU101.jpg Andreas Kisser (Sepultura), photo: Lyle Ratliff image by JaneSane

Andreas Kisser-Guitar
 

 Artist Info:

Official Site:

 www.sepultura.com

 Official Myspace: 

www.myspace.com/sepultura

www.myspace.com/andreaskisser

 

Album Info:

A-Lex

In-stores now

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Hubris I&II

In-stores now

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 SONIC EXCESS.:  With SEPULTURA'S 11th studio album "A-LEX" having been released nearly a year ago, are you happy with the final result, or looking back now, would you change anything? 

ANDREAS KISSER.: I am very happy with "A-LEX".  The album came out in January and we did two tours in Europe.  We still want to go back there and a few other places we haven't been to yet.  We played Argentina with IRON MAIDEN and it has just been a great tour.  But I am very happy with the album; it was inspired by the film "A Clockwork Orange" and an amazing book. We did a version of 9th Symphony from BEETHOVEN, so it was a great experience to record that album especially with a new drummer.  This album has presented up with a lot of possibilities, we are thinking about playing the album with an orchestra.

S.E.: That sounds like a good fit. Now would you say "A-LEX" is SEPULTURA'S most progressive album to date?  I thought much like the film "Clockwork Orange", "A-LEX" was ahead of its time.  Was Sepultura worried that some people might not understand it?

K.A.: Not at all, for SEPULTURA this has become so common to bring something different.  Of course, we lose and gain fans in doing that.  If you put together all of our albums, they are all different.  That is the way we are, always looking for something new.  We cannot please everybody, that's impossible and hopefully we never will.  I think it's good to have some criticism because that will show you stuff you don't see.

 

 

 

 

 SEPULTURA @ Maquinaria 2009 by Sepultura Official

 

S.E.: SEPULTURA is coming up on 25 years together, and to celebrate, you will be releasing a DVD.  Will this be career highlights along with the orchestra to?

A.K.: Definitely, that is the idea.  We want to play our role in history.  Even songs we have never played live and we will play more known Sepultura songs to that will be represented with an orchestra.  We are working with the same guy who did arrangements on the "A-LEX".

S.E.: Out of all that time in SEPULTURA, you must have 1000's of highpoints, but what is the one you think about most when reflecting on Sepultura's career?

A.K.: I think the whole thing is just amazing that we are still here, with so many changes like MAX and IGOR CAVALERA leaving the band.  We have kept the same spirit through the changing times.  When SEPULTURA started, we just had fax machines.  Technology has changed so much, is so amazing.

 

S.E.: It has been a few years since SEPULTURA came to the US.  Is a tour in the works?

A.K.: Ya man, we are trying to put a package together but it has been very difficult to tour America the past couple years.  Hopefully by the beginning of next year, we will be touring.  I lived in Phoenix Arizona for 10 years so we have many friends and people I want to see.  We really want to play to the fans and show them the new material.

S.E.: SEPULTURA played several festival dates over the summer in Europe and shared the stage with SOULFLY.  Did you ever give any thought about having MAX CAVALERA (former SEPULTURA vocalist and guitarist) join you for a song onstage or a beer offstage?

A.K.: I wish that would be possible, it’s the first time that we have played together since he left the band.  It's kind of ridiculous after 14 years it took that long to happen.  It was cool; they played a little bit later than us.  I talked to people that that I have not seen in a long time.  There were no hard feelings; I know there has been a lot of shit talked through the press but no hard feelings.  I respect whatever decisions he made to leave SEPULTURA and whatever he wanted with a solo career with SOULFLY and CAVALERA CONSPIRACY.  It is great to see the brothers getting together again so it’s cool.  We are doing our stuff but it was great to see some people we have not seen in such a long time. 

 

 

 

 

 

S.E.: You released your first studio album "HUBRIS" I & II". How long have you wanted to do this, and do you view this as a break from metal?

A.K.: This was an album that took 5 years to put together between SEPULTURA stuff, so I took my time and there was no rush.  It’s ready and out now.  It is something I wanted to put out to show what I love to do in music and not only the Sepultura stuff where most people know me from.  It is very personal, very influential and very experimental.  It is the soundtrack of myself and my own experiences and I am having a blast.  I am very happy that it is out, it was a lot of work and energy and I am very happy with the result.

 

 

 

S.E.: One disc I is electric and disc II is almost all acoustic.  Did you enjoy recording one disk more than the other?

A.K.: Of course, it was new to me to record a whole album acoustically.  With SEPULTURA, I recorded acoustic bits here and there but to do a whole album acoustically was a big challenge for me.  The first one is what I’m more used to with guitars and vocals, but I enjoyed both.  I learned a lot and it was a big challenge.

S.E.: I thought that HUBRIS had a very human feel to it. HUBRIS really shows several sides of you, musically, that came out a little bit in Sepultura here and there.  Was this type of music something that had always flowed through you, or did you have to get into a certain mindset?

A.K.: Definitely, that was the whole intention.  I really got to explore different sounds and tones and amps, and I really wanted to do a very musical album.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

S.E.: HAIL!  seems like a very fun project (Super group with ex-members of SLAYER, MEGADETH, and JUDAS PRIEST).

A.K.: No doubt, it has been amazing.  We are having a blast.  We did our first shows in Chili back in January.  The chemistry we have onstage is just amazing.  We feel like kids starting a new band.  It's a great feeling and we enjoy playing music without the pressure of having labels and all the stuff that we do in our own bands.  It's a great idea that came up.  We are going to do a show in Lebanon, which is going to be the first Heavy Metal concert ever in Beirut.  We are going much further then we could have ever expected to.

S.E.: This show must be as special to HAIL!  as it will be to the fans.

A.K.: Definitely, It is such a privilege.  I am so lucky to travel the world as a musician.  Sepultura has been to Cuba, the Philippines, Estonia, Ukraine, and Belarus

S.E.: Any plans on releasing an album with original material with HAIL!?

A.K.: No, not at this point.  We are just having fun and if something where to happen, it would have to happen naturally.  Like I said, the chemistry is great and in the future we could write something but right now we are focused on what we are doing and having a blast.  So no plans so far.

 

 

S.E.: You have been involved in Brazilian movie sound tracks.  Anything in the works for the future?

A.K.: Yes, I am working on one soundtrack right now actually, when I get back from touring with Hail!  I am going to finish recording for this movie.  It's great; to write for a movie it's very different than anything else.

 

S.E.: With Brazil hosting the world cup in 2014 and the Olympics.  Will Sepultura be contributing to any events?

A.K.: I hope so, with the world cup in 2014 and the Olympics are just huge for Brazil.  We have been waiting such a long time to host the greater events of the world and I hope I will be involved with every aspect like playing the national anthem or something.  I think it will be cool and people in all levels of Brazilian society will be involved.  I would love to be a part of it for sure.

S.E.: I hope you get a chance to also; METALLICA is also coming to South America.  Will Sepultura be playing any dates with them?

A.K.: Hopefully, we played with METALLICA here in Brazil once and it was just amazing, so to have a chance again it would be great.

 

 S.E.: How do you find the time with all the projects you immerse yourself in?

A.K.: I know right, I have a wife and three kids also but like Einstein said, time is relevant.  It's just a matter of organization and doing stuff with passion.  Every new project is very exciting and it keeps me very alive and fresh.  It's just what we do and any opportunity I have I like to be a part of something.

VOLTAR PARA GALERIA

S.E.: Any last words?

A.K.: Hopefully we can get on the road with SEPULTURA and with my solo stuff in the US soon, and thank you.

 

Photos & Video Coutresy of Sepultura

Interview by: Brandon Marshall

 

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