From the stage to the stream: Sepultura revisits the highlights of their webseries SepulQuarta

The wrath of 2020 is an all too familiar one.

Cancelled tours, delayed albums, depleted resources – the talking points of how devastating the pandemic era has been for musicians is one that carries with it untold collateral damage. The effects will likely be felt long after the world rotates to any kind of normalcy.

Yet while the world continues to figure out how to continue turning, bands have been faced with an especially grim reality.

Adapt or die.

For Brazilian legends Sepultura, the latter was never an option. Persevering despite the disappointment of releasing their fourteenth studio record, Quadra, and being forced to cancel tour plans to support it, the band had to find a pivot. The result was a practical means of staying connected with fans and leveraging a lifetime of friends in the business that were all in the same position. Cultivating their SepulQuarta web series, the band created a digital congregation of contemporaries that all had stories and insights to share.

In lieu of the tour bus and the set list, Sepultura found a new means staying connected with existing fans and certainly creating new ones with their unconventional means of reach.

Since the spring of 2020, the band has simultaneously maintained their rank as pillars within the metal community all while reinventing themselves as web series producers. Boasting content that includes a myriad of guests, the conversation and music anchor the kind of programming that makes the series something followers can look forward to every single week.

To highlight the aggregate of guests that have contributed to the archives of SepulQuarta, the band themselves have weighed in on the guests that have been especially important to the venture thus far.

In their own words, Sepultura detail the moments that have helped bolster what would have been an otherwise dismal 2020, into the year the band found a way to reinvent themselves after decades in the game. In revisiting the highlights of the series thus far, the band details what contributions made these guests especially meaningful in building SepulQuarta.

Andreas Kisser

João Gordo of Ratos de Porão – Cada Dia Mais Sujo E Agressivo

João is one of the most powerful voices in punk/hard core/metal world, he is also a good friend for many years. This album is my favorite for RDP, I had the privilege to record a lead on “Morte e Desespero” and is the album that has a lot of metal influence, they really stepped up their game and became better musicians with new influences. 

Phil Rind of Sacred Reich – The American Way 

Another band that has a big part in Sepultura’s career, I learned a lot with them on the road and we are still very good friends. I simply love this album. Tt shows all the great qualities of the band: the amazing drumming from Greg; tasty leads, the shredder Wiley; great riffing from Jason and in your face lyrics and vocals from Phil. We toured a lot with them during that album and still today is a very powerful set of songs.

Rudy Sarzo of Ozzy, Whitesnake, Quiet Riot, Dio – Speak of the Devil

Rudy is a legend, he played with all of the greats including my main idol Randy Rhoads in Quiet Riot and in Ozzy. Speak of the Devil is a magical album, the cover is so strong and hypnotic and the versions Ozzy did from the Sabbath catalog is so unique. Rudy’s bass and performance stands out, I’ve never seen a bass player like that, head banging, playing his bass upside down or on his back, just fantastic. 

Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater & Metal Allegiance – Metal Allegiance 

Mike is a master, his love of music motivates everyone around him. I have the privilege to work with Mike on the METAL ALLEGIANCE project. I was invited to record some leads on their first album and I loved the material. Mike, alongside Dave Ellefson, Alex Scolnick and Mark Mengui, did an amazing job writing some killer tracks. All is very heavy, technical with guests that make this album something historical. 

Tony Bellotto of Titas – Cabeça Dinossauro

Tony is the writer of the song “Policia” with we recorded during the Chaos AD sessions and in turned out to be one of our most recognizable versions around the world. “Policia” was taken from the album “Cabeça Dinossauro” (dinosaur’s head) which is a masterpiece. This album changed my life, it opened my head and ears to new possibilities in music besides metal. I still love the sound, it seems it was done yesterday, so fresh and alive! We chose to record the “Beneath the Remains” album in the same studio Titas recorded “Cabeça” simply because we all loved the album so much. 

Derrick Green

Danko Jones – We Sweat Blood

This album really was unique to listen to the first time because I liked everything about it from beginning to end. It’s a rarity when this happens and this lead to an amazing tour we did together. The live performance was even better then the album. I instantly became a fan till this very day. Great energy, and love of music formed a great friendship between us.

Billy Gould of Faith No More – Introduce Yourself

The is album was my anthem as a youth. I could get enough it!! What stood out for me the most were the unorthodox approach towards the vocals were extremely original. They were chaotic and punkish which was my vibe as a teenager. This album made me feel confident in wanting to approach music as a vocalist and being myself. R.I.P. Chuck M.

Scott Ian of Anthrax – Among The Living

This album helped tremendously to help me make the crossover from hardcore punk rock scene to more of a thrash metal scene. The album won me over after a few spins and opened my mind up. I’m also a huge fan of comics and I was impressed that they had a song about a comic that I liked at the time, Judd Dread!

Roman Ibramhalilov of Jinger – Cloud Factory

We were playing at a festival in France and our crew kept talking about this band that was playing. I was doing interviews and I wasn’t able to check out the show. I ended up looking them up online and I became obsessed with this album. I was moved and went to the show in L.A. and was blown away! Incredible performance, the songs from the album played perfectly live.

Shavo Odadjan of System Of A Down

We did a tour together with SYSTEM OF A DOWN and SLAYER in Europe. When I hear this album it reminds me of seeing them every night attempt to survive the harsh SLAYER audience. It was before they exploded into stardom and the Slayer audience are not easy to win over. They always stood their ground holding their own. I have a lot of respect for them and this album.

Paulo Xisto

Scott Ian of Anthrax – Fistful of Metal

This is one of the most iconic records on my youth… really influenced me how to be thrash metal dude. Scott’s guitar riffs are still very heavy, fast and powerful up to this day. And yes… we did jam “CUT-THROAT” in one of the SepulQuartas. 

David Ellefson of Megadeth – Killing is my Business…

[This] record influenced me as a kid. Up to this date, still one of my favorite MEGADETH records. Not to mention the bass lines that really give a special boost and body along with the arrangements. We had the pleasure to jam “Territory!” [It was] AWESOME!

Billy Gould of Faith No More – King For A Day

Billy is one of the most underrated bass players out there. This record up to this day stands out to me not only for the compositions itself, but combination of an outstanding bass playing with a very unique tone.

Zé Ramalho of Dança das Borboletas

An Icon of the Brazilian music and culture for so many years. He’s has influenced few generations with a vey unique tone of voice and mixing rock and roll with our north east music creating a strong music along with his gutural vocals. We had the pleasure to share the stage with him in one of the Rock In Rio’s edition. What a night to remember.

Angélica Burns of HATEFULMURDER, Fernanda Lira of CRYPTA, and Mayara Puertas of TORTURE SQUAD

These ladies are the generation that represents the Brazilian Heavy Metal around the globe. Each one has a very unique way of singing and playing. We had the chance to jam HATRED ASIDE in one of the Sepulquartas. You should check that out!!! 

Eloy Casagrande

Ney Matogrosso of Secos & Molhados – A Volta Dos Secos & Molhados

They made a revolution in Brazilian music. Subversive band that acted actively against the military dictatorship during the 70s. They participated in the “Tropicália” movement. His debut album incorporated new elements to MPB, ranging from poetry and glam rock to progressive rock, serving as a fundamental reference for a generation of underground bands that did not accept MPB as an expression.

Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater – Train of Thought

Album very well built and written by the American band, which at that time was already an icon of progressive metal. This album has heavier elements, compared to other previous albums, so this is my favorite. Portnoy is simply a wizard.

Devin Townsend of Strapping Young Lad – The New Black

Devin is a composition genius. In this album he reconciles the crudest metal that can exist with all his irreverence and vocal power. A true need for all those who say are headbangers.

Zé Ramalho – A Peleja do Diabo com o Dono do Céu

One of the most relevant artists in all of the Brazilian history. His music is a mixture of rock and Brazilian northeastern music. His lyrics are inspired by the difficulty and poverty of our people. Sepultura had the pleasure of playing with Zé Ramalho at Rock in Rio 2013. A historic moment for me.

João Barone of Os Paralamas do Sucesso – Selvagem?

“Os Paralamas do Sucesso” is a very popular pop-rock band in Brazil. They combine ska and reggae with rock with a touch of Latin music. Especially in this album, they portray the military dictatorship that Brazil was experiencing that time, with subversive lyrics that are still up to date.

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