Igor Cavalera: There would have been no Sepultura without Motorhead

Igor, 2nd left, with Sepultura in 1994
Igor, 2nd left, with Sepultura in 1994 (Image credit: Getty)

Igor Cavalera says that he and his brother Max were inspired to form Sepultura in 1984 because of Motorhead.

The current Cavalera Conspiracy drummer was speaking with Jehnny Beth on her Start Making Sense show on Beats 1, where he revealed how Motorhead’s blend of styles struck a chord with him and Max.

He says: “It’s one of those bands that me and my brother would go to our room and listen to cassettes on our boombox.

“They were one of the bands that we were like, ‘Wow, these guys are way ahead of their time’ because they were mixing up the energy of punk, metal and rock‘n’roll.

“The combination of those things really influenced me and Max to start Sepultura.”

Sepultura in Portuguese means grave or tomb, with Cavalera saying that the band’s name was inspired by Lemmy and co’s track Dancing On Your Grave from 1983 album Another Perfect Day.

He says: “I remember me and Max were 12 or 13 and we told our grandma, ‘We’ve got a band.’ Grandma said, ‘Oh, that’s cool. What’s the name?’ and we’re like ‘Sepultura.’

“She was like, ‘That’s the worst name’ and I just looked at my brother and we’re like, ‘Yeah, we’re on a good path here.’ She did the sign of the cross and we were like, ‘Yes that’s a good name’ and then we kept it.”

The full interview can be found on Jehnny’s Start Making Sense show on Beats 1.

Cavalera Conspiracy released their latest album Psychosis in November via Napalm Records.

Celebrating 30 years of Sepultura

Scott Munro
Louder e-commerce editor

Scott has spent more than 30 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in the summer of 2014 before moving to the e-commerce team in 2020. Scott maintains Louder’s buyer’s guides, scouts out the best deals for music fans and reviews headphones, speakers, books and more. He's written more than 11,000 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog and has previous written for publications including IGN, the Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald, covering everything from daily news and weekly features, to video games, travel and whisky. Scott's favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, Marillion and Rush.