VOX: Who’s going to win the World Cup?

VOX: I know they’re qualifying right now…
Andreas: I don’t know man, it’s looking good for France and England actually.

VOX: I know you guys are big soccer bugs…
Andreas: Oh yeah, and Argentina, they have to qualify first which is kind of a struggle, and historically we have never lost to Ecuador, Paraguay and we lost to them. We’ll see what happens, it’s not looking good…

VOX: It looks like Brazilian tennis is doing better.
Paulo Pinto: Much better! Guga number 1!

VOX: This album was a huge step forward, what was different from making Against?
Andreas: Everything was different, everything. Our state of mind, our energy. We are much more organized now, we have a manager we have a singer now. We really could focus more on the music and explore all the stuff. Try different music, different elements. Now with Derrick in the band naturally we have the difference inside the band cause he brought new ideas, new ways of singing, new melodies that allowed us to explore different territories. While Against was pretty much just putting together, putting it out and go tour. We not only lost a singer but a manager also. It was a whole rebuilding everything about Sepultura. And uh, to record to write to tour the album was very difficult but it was a great school for us. It really helped us to be here and to write and record Nation the way it is

VOX: How did it help?
Andreas: We would change, we grew up a lot. Especially in the business side of it. Before we trusted too much, everyone and we paid a high price for it. But now we are in a better place. We grew up as musicians, as a guitar player, as bass player because [former singer] Max [Cavalera] wasn’t there anymore as a second guitar. We took advantage of what happened, the break, and all the holes which we filled in.

VOX: Do you think you’ll ever smooth things out with Max?
Paulo: I guess it’s a question of time. It was done in a rough way. I knew him before I knew Andreas. I know him since I was 13. I think it’s just a matter a time. He’s got a lot going on for him. He has his family. His thing. Taking time for both sides, some day we’ll have to talk, we can’t fight forever. Then we’ll fight again!

[Laughing]

VOX: Are you able to look at the positive side of his departure?
Andreas: Definitely. We had to do it. Or else we have to change careers or something. We cannot do anything else pretty much that the stuff we love to do. It’s not like that Max doesn’t want the same manager as we do. We aren’t going to stop cause of that. So that’s why we kept going. and that’s the positive part of it. All the consequences of that, to meet Derrick, to have a new friend, a new person in the band, a new element, new music is very positive in itself. All the rest is just a consequence. The most important thing is to enjoy what we do. The stuff that we are.

VOX: How did you meet Derrick?
Andreas: It was auditions, tapes. Mike Detter, our A&R guy at Roadrunner, he was the one that showed Derrick to us. ‘Here is this guy I heard him play, maybe he can play with you guys’. We sent him Choke without lyrics and no melodies, just music. We did that for a lot of different singers so we can really feel what they can bring. Because to do the old songs would be very obvious and easy, to repeat. Derrick did Choke we like a lot what he did. But then he came down to Brazil, to rehearse, then we were sure that he was the guy to bring something to the future. Instead of trying to do an album for lower expectations for people who were expecting another Roots, start something new. We didn’t care about the criticism because Sepultura has always been criticized since day one, their whole career, since before I join the band. There’s nothing new to us. We just locked ourselves in our practice room and just work music. That was our answer.

VOX: It seems like with Against, you were forced to put it out.
Paulo: That’s the only way. We have to go through the process and start a new thing from zero. ‘We’re still here, we’re alive, we can tour, the band is here.’
Andreas: With this album, you can listen to this album with a difference ear. I think already with Nation , a lot can be explained a lot easier if you listen. It was an album that was very honest like every album we’ve done. It really shows what our period of life, very disturbing, very difficult. The music just flows with that.

VOX: It seems that Nation is so far ahead musically…
Andreas: It’s a matter of state of mind and spirits. If you feel good about yourself and the band, the rest is a consequence. You can compare Against to the past or the future. It stands by itself. This is the pretty much the new Sepultura. This is what we really wanted to show musically. We were very glad and happy the ways the album turned out. The response has been very positive.

VOX: Your fans are crazy for your music…
Andreas: They help us out a lot to keep going. Especially in Brazil, throughout the world, the Internet, the boards, the forums, people really help us. And saying they were behind Sepultura. They just didn’t want us to stop playing. They really want to keep us moving. A lot of this album Nation has a lot to do with that, our nation of fans. We want to involve our fans, we have our nation fans, they are helping us work together. Very happy to have that, it’s great to have that feeling.

VOX: Heavy rock is changing. Where is it heading? Is change a consequence of rock?
Andreas: Yeah, rock is the format that is more open. Blues is very closed, jazz you know, but rock goes everywhere. The rap influence like Korn and Limp Bizkit. Metallica doing symphonies. Classical music influence. We can do the percussion stuff on Roots. We really can do a lot of stuff with this style of music, either way, every way! It’s a matter what we feel feels right.

VOX: Tell me about "One Man Army."
Andreas: "One Man Army" is the first lyrics that Igor wrote ever for Sepultura. He always gave ideas and directions, but me and Max did the whole lyrics. Now Derrick writes a lot. Now with this concept of Nation, this ‘army’ of yourself pretty much, it doesn’t matter how many allies or enemies you have, it’s going to you, it comes to a point where you have to decide your fate. We live in response to our own actions. Just have faith and don’t follow any stupidity or leadership from the media.

VOX: Is "Sepulnation" the new anthem?
Andreas: I don’t know… It could be. It’s not our decision, it’s the fans…it could be. It’s a strong song, that’s why we opened the album. It definitely…it’s a turning point for us.

VOX: You’ve just started a tour. Are you excited to get the music out there?
Andreas: Definitely, that’s the beauty to be on stage, to enjoy our fans, to play loud and scream loud! And it’s great to revisit countries and visit new places that we have never been before

VOX: Any favorite places to play?
Paulo: Home!
Andreas: Home, Brazil. But it doesn’t matter, when our fans are together and have a good vibe. We don’t even remember what country you’re in.