Home · Artists · Sepultura

Belo Horizonte, Brazil · 1984–present

Sepultura

The sound of Sepultura cannot be understood without the weight of its roots. It was born in Belo Horizonte in 1984, when brothers Max and Igor Cavalera gathered Paulo Jr. and Wagner Lamounier to create something that smelled of heavy metal, but with a local twist: they blended the thrash of Iron Maiden or Judas Priest with tribal rhythms and sounds that didn’t fit the conventional mold. They took the name from a literal translation of "Dancing on Your Grave" by Motörhead, but the real shift came when they discovered the black metal of Hellhammer and Celtic Frost. Suddenly, death metal and thrash became darker, dirtier, and Brazilian thrash metal found its own voice.

The first major blow came in 1985, when Cogumelo Records signed them after seeing them at a festival. They recorded in two days, and the result was Bestial Devastation, a split EP with Overdose that, despite its homemade production, opened doors for them. But the real leap arrived with Morbid Visions in 1986: an album that, with teenagers at the helm, sounded like nothing ever heard before. "Troops of Doom" slipped into the underground scene, and though its reach was limited, it was enough for the band to move to São Paulo in search of more space. That same year, Jairo Guedez left and Andreas Kisser joined, completing the lineup that would define their most iconic era.

Thrash metal death metal Metal groove metal alternative metal 1980s

1 Albums

17 Songs

1,4M Listeners/mo

Start playing

Most played on DoReSol

Essential songs

See all 17 →

Roots Bloody Roots

Roots · 1996

3:32 02

Attitude

Roots · 1996

4:15 03

Cut‐Throat

Roots · 1996

2:45 04

Ratamahatta

Roots · 1996

4:31 05

Breed Apart

Roots · 1996

4:01 06

Straighthate

Roots · 1996

5:22 07

Spit

Roots · 1996

2:46 08

Lookaway

Roots · 1996

5:26 09

Dusted

Roots · 1996

4:04 10

Born Stubborn

Roots · 1996

4:08

1 album|s · 1996

Full discography

1996 ★ Essential

Roots

17 song|s

Share stage, decade and obsessions

Related artists

Pantera

Megadeth

Metallica

Details, awards, members and more

More about Sepultura

Biography

With Schizophrenia in 1987, Sepultura already had the DNA that would make them unique: sharp riffs, tribal percussion, and a raw edge that didn’t aim to polish, but to impact. The 10,000 copies sold in weeks proved something was working, and the bootleg that reached Europe—30,000 copies without control—put them on the international radar. But the true turning point was Beneath the Remains in 1989, recorded in nine days with Scott Burns and compared to Reign in Blood by Slayer. For the first time, they left Brazil, playing with Sodom in Europe and the United States. In 1990, the Dynamo Open Air Festival saw them in front of 26,000 people, and their connection with Gloria Bujnowski—manager of Sacred Reich—gave them the push to take the next step. Arise arrived in 1991, and with it, the world understood that Brazilian metal was no passing trend.

Details

Born: 1 Jan 1984
Country: 🇧🇷 Brazil
Genre: Thrash metal

Members

bass · 1984–present: Paulo Jr.
electric guitar · 1986–present: Andreas Kisser
vocals · 1997–present: Derrick Green
drums · 2024–present: Greyson Nekrutman
drums, founder · 1984–2006: Igor Cavalera
vocals, founder · 1984–1997: Max Cavalera
drums · 2011–2024: Eloy Casagrande
drums · 2006–2011: Jean Dolabella
guitar, founder · 1984–1986: Jairo Guedz
vocals, founder · 1984–1985: Wagner Lamounier

Record labels

Cogumelo Records Cogumelo * New Renaissance Records New Renaissance * Roadrunner Records Roadrunner * Epic Records Epic * SPV GmbH SPV * Nuclear Blast