Twinmusix got to speak to Derrick Green from Sepultura about there new album and more.
TM - What can fans expect from your new album Newest?
DG - It has a lot of diversity from the beginning to the end. We wanted to create a journey while listening, so there is a lot of original stuff. We wanted to create new sounds on top of the album. It is definitely an album that you need to listen to over and over. There is a lot of things going on and there are a lot of different elements to the music.
TM - What was your writing and recording process for Newest?
DG - We started with the idea and the concept of the album which was based on a book called the Quadrivium. Our guitarist had been reading the book, he was also reading about numerology, Our album was based on both of those things.
There are four members in the band and a significance with the number four creating power. This number is present, so we felt this way with our band when we are all together playing. We are on stage to recording in the studios and there is something that happens with in the moment.
Quadra is Portuguese for playing field. In the playing field there are certain rules and laws, it is kind of a rule of life. Everybody is born into a different quadram and you have to be able to deal with what is happening with it. The laws are passed on to you and you have to deal with it. If you don't, you pay the consequences. There are a lot of people trying to deal with that.
There are a lot of songs dealing with social issues from different places and dealing this quadra, that everyone is living in. I wrote a song about the justice system in the u.s. I wrote a song about the Amazon and the indigenous people that are being killed. I also wrote a song about the refugees. There a variety of songs about things that are happening and alot of things that are happening in this time.
Andreas Kisser and Eloy Casagrande sent me the music they were recording and I came up with my ideas of the lyrics and then we all come together and record for our producer. We went to Sweden to record and do the drums first. Then we recorded the guitar, bass, lead guitar and vocals last. That is primellary how we do albums. We had a lot of time to work on this album it made a huge different having that time to produce this album.
TM - How did you come up with your album cover for Newest?
DG - A Brazilian friend of ours introduced us to an artist and basically it's that money manipulates us all. It is something we are born into and we accept and without it we are unable to survive, no shelter or food it's something we rely on no matter what Quadrant. We wanted to have it as the type of enslave wasn't meant that people are in and no matter where you're from it's something people need and something people question. The idea of the actual coin on the album cover and the Roman coin is something they were passing around Europe when when they were conquering over Europe and people just accepted that as the trade.
TM- If you could have any band play one of your songs what band would it be, what song would it be and in your style or their style?
DG - Prodigy doing our song kairos.
TM - If you could collaborate with any artists who would it be and why?
DG - I am a big fan of Massive Attack and have always been influenced by them. I love the fact that they are so intense dramatic and deep and we have done a song by them in the past angel.
TM - What is your favorite memory of watching someone else peform live?
DG - Watching Slayer do their last show in LA it was something I watched by myself and it brought back a lot of memories.
TM - That would have been a awesome show to be at, what an experience.
TM - Can you tell us more about your show Highway to health?
DG - Yeah, it is a show I am hosting with Tanya O'Callaghan whos a travelling musician as a well. She plays bass and she is from Ireland. We do a variety of interviews with different people as far as our lifestyle and having a plant-based lifestyle. We interview people who are living a particular lifestyle and that are interested in sustainability of this planet.
It is a variety of things that are connected with everything having to do with this type of attitude and wanting to improve the planet. There is a lot of curiosity and the questions from people. Theyalways ask me about plant based questions and I really enjoy answering these questions. I am not trying to change people into being vegans, im showing there is a big movement to going on to improve the planet. I show how people are reacting to that all over the world. We are basically travelling around the world and interviewing a lot of different people and hoping to preview this in the fall.
TM - That is cool, you will definitely give people something to think about.
TM - You joined Sepultura in 1997 after the departure of Max Cavalera. How have you enjoyed the experience and how did you come to join the band?
DG - Once the singer left they were looking for a new singer and holding auditions. Basically what that entailed is, they had one tape with no vocals and the person and the singer could do their ideas for that song vocally. I did that and then they asked me to come to Brazil and I flew down to Brazil. I met them and rehearsed with them and after about a month they asked me to come back to Brazil and join the band and then I moved there for 20 years to San Paolo.
TM - Is there anything else you want to say to your fans?
DG - We are looking forward to the release which is February 7th. We are looking forward to touring everywhere in the world and our first tour will be North America with Sacred Reich and Crowbar. We are playing some festivals and if you buy our speical album it has a documentary of Sepultura.
TM - Thank You for this interview today, we really appreciate it. We cannot wait to hear your new album and hopefully we get to see you on the road somewhere.
ORDER HERE
https://www.nuclearblast.de/en/label/music/band/about/71112.sepultura.html
iTunes AU link: https://music.apple.com/au/album/quadra/1485593522
iTunes NZ link: https://music.apple.com/nz/album/quadra/1485593522
YouTube Video Links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2nZ3n8_e3k
