Igor Cavalera Says Metal Fans Who Ignore New Music Are Lazy

Former Sepultura drummer Igor Cavalera recently spoke with Louder Sound, sharing his views on the global metal movement and calling out fans who only listen to older music. His comments came in response to a question about Sepultura’s role in shaping the worldwide metal scene.

“That’s what makes me proud; that bands can follow what we did,” Cavalera said. “Not just musically, but in attitude too. That’s the future of music. People who only listen to old stuff are fucking lazy.”

Cavalera highlighted Sepultura’s legacy of breaking boundaries and connecting cultures through their sound. “The first time we came out of Brazil, people were like, ‘What the hell is this?’ We were pushing the limits of music,” he continued. “And I still am now. People know me for metal, but this is an experimental noise thing. It’s all about connection. We were connecting Brazil to Japan, to everywhere. I want to keep my antennas open to new things.”

His remarks underscore the band’s long-running commitment to innovation—a trait that has defined their career since the 1980s. Sepultura’s influence on the global metal scene began early. According to Atmostfear Entertainment, the band made a mark in the extreme metal world from their earliest days.

Their early demos and live tapes circulated internationally, helping to shape the emerging death and thrash metal genres. Their 1987 album Schizophrenia reached a wide audience and solidified their reputation as part of the rapidly growing global metal network.

The band’s most groundbreaking moment came with their embrace of Brazilian cultural influences. Remezcla noted that Roots expanded metal’s creative range by weaving in folklore and indigenous rhythms, showing that heavy music could merge with cultural identity. The album remains one of their most influential works, inspiring Latin American metal artists to incorporate traditional sounds into their music.

Its impact stretched well beyond Brazil, demonstrating that metal bands worldwide could embrace their heritage without sacrificing intensity. This fusion opened new creative pathways across continents.

Iggor Cavalera’s stance against musical stagnation continues that same spirit of experimentation. His critique of listeners who cling to older material mirrors the ethos that once led Sepultura to blend thrash metal with tribal percussion and chants. Today, through his various projects, Cavalera remains committed to innovation—the same drive that first put Sepultura on the global metal map and inspired countless artists to push their own creative limits.