WAR FOR TERRITORY...OR HOW TO HYDRATE A "Z" IN THE ISRAELI DESERT...

When Zyon was quite young, under a year old, him and I travelled to Israel with Sepultura to film a video for MTV. When Roadrunner chose the track Territory, I knew right where to go! I have always been interested in political situations around the world and what is happening globally, so naturally, I suggested to Max that we travel to the Holy Land to rock out. The centuries old, ancient battle for the sands of Jesus' time was, and still is, the desire of many to conquer and rule. What better place to take this track to? Max loved the idea and soon, off we went!

Me and Z , overlooking Jerusalem

The video production company was not happy to see a baby in the sweltering heat with a schedule from Hell, and did everything they could to force us to leave him in a hotel room. Knowing Max's addiction to his little mini-me, I would only just smile and jump in the van, Z in hand. Max would look at me with our all knowing gazes and we would just carry on!

Zyon with uncle Iggor 

The day was great and I saw so many things I had only seen before in books or movies. We were taken to a lookout road on a mountain and from the ledge, we could see Jerusalem in all its glory! We never got a chance to go there because there was great conflict within its high walls at that time of Life. I filed it in my To-Do List and yes, Max and I did visit it many years later when we played with Ozzy in the Ben Gurian Park in Tel Aviv!

The only problem throughout the day was when Zyon ran out of formula and water became scarce, while out in the desert filming. What did we do? Yes, I admit putting a wee bit of Pepsi in his bottle as we shielded ourselves from the sun under one of the settler's homes at the top of the Masada!

Bedouin man and his son

Sepultura with the Bedouins

We trucked on throughout the day, crossing sand dunes to sip tea with the Bedouins and ending with the salt of the Dead Sea burning the nicks on the band's legs. It was a brilliant experience, and I am very grateful to have seen such sites, in my career!

Andreas and Iggor at the Dead Sea

Class dismissed......

COME TO THE JAMPAD...101

I have had a jampad at the airport for over 20 years. It has had a variety of Cavalera's and their tunes pass through its pages of history. Sepultura, Soufly, Nailbomb, Incite and Lody Kong...at some point in time, they all spit on a mic in those cement block walls. Gear has come and gear has gone...who the heck stole the Crate amps...I am still pissed about that!

Roy

Sepultura had 2 storage units. with unknown, mysterious renters in the space in-between the two. After the Chaos AD tour, we had our mummy sleeping sweetly in the dark cavern, snuggled with road cases. The manager of the property called me one morning, and said to haul ass down there because the property in the middle of the 2 Sep units was on fire. By the time we arrived, our mummy had succumbed to the fire, which was caused by a pot farm that caught on fire! RIP...the culprits escaped without a scratch thanks to the fake identity they used to rent the space.

Max's BC Rich

Because the location is a bit sketchy, I have seen weirdness in all shapes and sizes. One evening, during a Sep rehearsal, a gang wandered in the open door. We all held our breath a second and relaxed when they wandered back out. Another time, Jason Rainey, rhythm guitarist of Sacred Reich, and I pulled into a gas station and saw someone get stabbed in the abdomen. We high tailed it outta there!!

Sacred Reich had a jam pad which was kitty corner from ours, for several years. It is now inhabited by our old friend, Bam Bam, the drummer of Jody Foster's Army, otherwise known as JFA. We run into him occasionally still.

JFA

Bands have come and gone through the complex. Parties have rocked the spaces and rain has flooded the doorway, seeping up to the bottoms of the Peavey cabinets, but we still can't let it go. In 1996, when we returned to the jam pad, a couple days after the fateful Brixton Academy show had been filed into the past, Max found the jam pad mysteriously empty and much of his gear gone missing. Since then, we have managed to fill it to the rafters again!! One day, I will see my vow to clear it out come true. And you will be the first to know!!

Class dismissed......

NEW TITANS ON THE BLOC....FROM THE ARCHIVES

In the early '90's, when I was constructing my world dominance plans for two of my bands, Sacred Reich and Sepultura, I made a tour just for them called The New Titans on the Bloc Tour. We did a 2-3 month long US run and played a show in Venezuela. I think there was a Mexico date added, also. It was very successful, and broke the barriers for Sepultura, to be fully introduced into the US Metal scene., with a step up from clubs and into theaters Also on the bill was Sick of it All and Napalm Death.

Getting ready for tour

Biohazard

Sick Of It All

Sacred Reich (great mosh pit!)

In Allentown ,Pennsylvania, we had a bit of trouble with the crowd. Some mace got in the air of the pit and all hell broke lose! I found out later, it was sprayed by one of the crew dudes, just looking after his band.

Iggor and Andreas

Sepultura Arise Backdrop

Iggor on drums

Biohazard was on this show, as an added act. Great times!! I wont bore you with a repeat of my old lesson about this tour, but I will share sone photos from the archives...

pooped out..and onto the next gig.

Class dismissed....

WHO'S THIS SLAYER? WANT ME TO POP HIM IN THE MOUTH?

We have always been fans and friends with Slayer. They were super cool to us on tour, on festival dates, and also when Tom came in the studio to record Terrorist, with Soulfly for the Primitive recording. Their wives are cool and basically, we are all members of the same Metal family.

Slayer

On July 7, 2002, we were both booked on the Montreux Jazz Festival. We were the first Metal bands to ever perform for the legendary event. Montreux, Switzerland is a beautiful city on the edge of Lake Geneva, the Swiss Riviera. The festival spares no detail and the day couldn't have been any better!

On this particular tour, my parents accompanied us, along with our family and the band and crew. Max and I took my Mom to search her footsteps during WW2, and her youth in Yugoslavia. We even went to the concentration camp she had been held in! The funny thing was, the bus companies in Europe had all run out of buses and when we arrived, we were delivered 2 buses with seats! This was the beginning of the famous Bunk War Tour......everyone trying to construct bunks on the seats and under the seats, with plywood, air mattresses, cardboard and just about anything scrap we could find!

We grinned and bared it and crossed the shows off the itinerary, one by one. In the backstage of the Montreux show, the dressing rooms were sectioned off with cloth screens with metal framework...no ceilings. All the bands were in the same giant room, which had the thin dividers. Close quarters, but nice and clean. My Dad was chilling in the room, hanging with us, listening to everything going on. Dad was always a hardcore supporter of all things Max. He once told me that Max was the most perfect person he had ever met! To make long story short, they were great friends!

Anyway, back to the tale....Someone from production came in and mentioned that Max wouldn't be able to throw water on stage, like he had been doing his entire career. This gave Max a bit of a start and my Dad got alarmed. He listened intently, and when he couldn't take the lingo, he belted out..."Who is this Slayer? Want me to pop him in the mouth?" You can imagine the explosion of laughter from all of us, imagining my Dad brawling with this man called Slayer! We all cracked up but then freaked a bit when we realized Slayer was on the other side of the screen! We still laugh our asses off, whenever we think about my Dad's outburst that day. He was ready to throw down!! Dad was keeping it real!!!

2 wild friends

me and my dad...

Class dismissed.....

SAN FRANCISCO...SEPULTURA AT THE WARFIELD...1994

We were all very pumped to learn that Sepultura had gotten a show at the Warfield, in San Francisco, in the early 1990's. Damn, talk about some amazing rock history! The theater had been around since 1922, but was used as a location for plays and vaudeville, mainly. In 1979, Bill Graham Presents booked the 2 week run of Bob Dylan dates, and the place has been rocking ever since!

Making faces :P

Day sheet...

On the bus getting ready for the day.

They say "everyone" has played the Warfield. I guess you could agree, since everyone from Charlie Chaplin to the Shaolin Monks, to the Clash to the Grateful Dead, who had the honor of being the house band, until Jerry's death, has given it all on the stage! Well, now, enter the '90's and Sepultura and the invasion of Metal!!! Oh and let's not forget the 20 dressing rooms!!!

Max slamming an espresso before the show

Class dismissed....