Max and Iggor Conquer at Great American Music Hall

Max and Iggor Cavalera
Great American Music Hall
June 16, 2022

All photos by Raymond Ahner

Brothers Max and Iggor Cavalera, who co-founded the iconic Brazilian metal band Sepultura in 1984, recently announced that they would be touring together to play material from their former band’s biggest two records, Beneath the Remains and Arise. Billed as “Return : Beneath Arise,” the brothers recently steamrolled into the Great American Music Hall for not one, but two nights of pounding metal that brought Bay Area metalheads out of the woodwork to witness what will hopefully not be a once in a lifetime event.

As the lights dimmed and the band (Max on vocals and rhythm guitar, brother Iggor behind the drum kit, Mike Leon of Soulfly on bass, and Daniel Gonzalez of Possessed on lead guitar) hit the stage to the intro of”Arise,” Max took a good look at the packed crowd and immediately launched into “Beneath the Remains.” From there it was a non-stop assault on the ears, but in the best possible way. “Stronger Than Hate,” “Mass Hypnosis,” and “Sarcastic Existence” all followed, with Max addressing the crowd with “San Francisco, Let’s Destroy This Place.”

Although the songs technically belonged to Max and Iggor, the four-piece were about as dialed in as a band could possibly get, giving each one an almost bombastic feel, all while a massive pit ragged in the middle of the venue. Max clearly seemed to be having fun playing the old songs again, and as he commanded the fans to put their hands in the sky during “Desperate Cry,” they more than obliged, some throwing their full cups of beer while they were at it.

After a blistering cover of Motorhead’s “Orgasmatron,” Max, Iggor, and their band wrapped up the evening with “Beneath the Remains.” It was a triumphant return to San Francisco, and there was no doubt that they were ready to do it again the following night.

Support on the tour came from Cephalic Carnage, the long running Denver-based technical death metal band. They definitely had their fans in the crowd, and did more than their job getting everyone pumped for the headliners. Highlights from their set included “Dying Will be the Death of Me” and “Lucid Interval.”

Opening the show was Healing Magic, a sludgy, doomy, stoner metal-inspired two-piece from the desert of Arizona, and includes Max Cavalera’s son Igor Amadeus on guitar and vocals and Johnny Valles on drums. The two definitely have a huge sound, and were the perfect band to kick off the evening.

Here’s a slideshow with more photos of Max & Iggor and Cephalic Carnage: