Watch: SOULFLY Performs New Music ‘Favela Dystopia’ From Upcoming Album

SOULFLY performed a brand new music referred to as “Favela Dystopia” stay for the primary time on July 8 at Maimunarnika in Sofia, Bulgaria and once more on July 10 at Dorćol Platz in Belgrade, Serbia. Fan-filmed video of the Belgrade efficiency of the observe might be seen beneath.

“Favela Dystopia” is anticipated to look on SOULFLY‘s upcoming follow-up to 2022’s “Totem” album, tentatively due in late 2025 or early 2026.

In a latest interview with MetalUnderground.com, SOULFLY frontman Max Cavalera spoke about his plans for the band’s subsequent LP. He stated: “We’re engaged on the brand new document proper now. It is going good, man. We’re taking our time to do it proper. We’re within the strategy of ending the recordings proper now, after which we’re gonna begin getting stuff blended and discovering the songs which might be gonna go on all of the socials, Spotify and all that jive. However, yeah, I am very pleased with the document.”

Concerning the musical route of the brand new SOULFLY materials, Max stated: “The document, it is cool. It feels to me [like it] has the adventurous spirit of the primary document [1998’s ‘Soulfly’]. Sonically, it is fairly totally different from the primary document — it is extra intricate and perhaps even heavier, heavier grooves. However when it comes to spirit and perspective, it is just like the primary document, which I believe is cool that I acquired to determine a technique to put my thoughts again at the moment and what made me create that document and use it once more on a brand new document. It is fairly enjoyable. It is sort of exhausting to do, however I believe it was an thrilling factor to deal with. It was sort of, like, ‘Let’s strive to do that. Let’s have a look at if you should use your first album as one way or the other some sort of inspiration on your thirteenth document. [Laughs] And that was nice, man. I like that. I like that sort of vibe that the document has.”

Cavalera continued: “That is the cool factor about this document. It is sort of, in a means, a return to what me and followers of SOULFLY fell in love with SOULFLY for. After which all through the years, lots of the different data had quite a lot of totally different vibes in it. A few of them went extra thrashy with stuff like ‘Darkish Ages’ [2005], ‘Omen’ [2010], ‘Conquer’ [2008]. So, to me, making a document that sonically is impressed by the very first thing that you simply did as a band, it was a problem — there is a problem in that — ‘trigger it is simpler stated than achieved. As a result of I do not wanna simply copy that first document both. There is not any level in doing that. I am simply utilizing it as inspiration. It is actually simply full on for steel inspiration. The songs [themselves], they’re gonna have their very own persona and their very own vibe. However, yeah, it is popping out fairly fascinating. I am excited to listen to what the followers are gonna take into consideration this one.”

Requested a few attainable launch date for the brand new SOULFLY album, Max stated: “Proper now I believe we’re October. That is they’re speaking about. And we do have a European tour that begins in June. It goes from June to late July. We’re gonna be taking part in one or two songs of the brand new document on that tour, which I believe is nice. Anytime I had an opportunity to try this, it has been nice. I bear in mind taking part in ‘Primitive’ [the title track of SOULFLY‘s second album, which came out in 2000] on the primary document tour, as a result of I wrote ‘Primitive’ on the similar time I wrote the primary SOULFLY document. I simply could not slot in. There was too many songs, and I used to be, like, ‘All proper. Fuck it. I do not want one other music on this document.’ However then we went on tour, and I acquired an opportunity to play the music ‘Primitive’ stay earlier than the ‘Primitive’ document got here out, so that folks acquired a style of the second document developing. So it is sort of related sort of factor — folks get a style of this album just a little bit earlier than. Particularly this point in time with the Web, folks gonna get it on YouTube, they’re gonna watch it, and so they’re gonna really feel the document earlier than October, at the very least.”

This previous Could, SOULFLY recruited Chase Bryant (WARBRINGER) to play bass on the band’s European tour, which kicked off on June 7 on the South Of Heaven pageant in Maastricht, Netherlands.

A month earlier, SOULFLY parted methods with the band’s longtime bassist Mike Leon.

Leon, previously of HAVOK, joined SOULFLY in September 2015 because the alternative for STATIC-X bassist Tony Campos, who left SOULFLY in Could of that yr.

“Totem” got here out in August 2022 by way of Nuclear Blast. The follow-up to 2018’s “Ritual” was recorded at Platinum Underground in Mesa, Arizona by John Aquilino and Arthur Rizk with help from John Powers. Produced by Max Cavalera alongside Arthur Rizk (KREATOR, MUNICIPAL WASTE, CODE ORANGE),the LP boasts visitor appearances from John Powers (ETERNAL CHAMPION),Chris Ulsh (POWER TRIP),and John Tardy (OBITUARY). Rizk was additionally chargeable for taking part in lead guitar on the document. The art work for the album was created by James Bousema.

In August 2021, SOULFLY parted methods with longtime guitarist Marc Rizzo because of private variations. FEAR FACTORY‘s Dino Cazares performed guitar for SOULFLY on the band’s 2021 and 2022 run of exhibits.

Guitarist Mike DeLeon has been touring with SOULFLY for greater than two years. Previous to hooking up with SOULFLY, DeLeon had been a member of PANTERA singer Philip Anselmo‘s solo band PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS, which he joined in 2015 because the alternative for Marzi Montazeri. Extra just lately, Mike stuffed in for Zakk Wylde on the first rehearsal for the autumn 2022 PANTERA exhibits.

In a November 2024 interview with Dave Rumbler of Metallic-Roos, Max, who turned 55 years outdated in August 2024, stated that he has no plans of slowing down within the coming years. “I used to be placed on this planet to do that, and that is all I wanna do,” he stated. “It is all I understand how to do and it is all I wanna do… In fact, we modify as folks as we become older, however I believe there’s some issues in me, they’re the identical as they had been once I was 15 years outdated — my ardour for steel, how I really feel about happening the stage and the goosebumps, the joy is sort of a drug. You’ll be able to’t actually get that wherever else besides on the stage. And people issues do not change. And I like that.

“To me, I am at all times trying ahead to no matter tour we’re doing, no matter album we’re making,” he continued. “There are challenges, however on the similar time, they’re nice life alternatives. And I stay life for the second. I am not a type of guys that — I do not stay considering 10 years from now. I stay for proper now for this, ‘trigger I do not know what’s 10 years from now. I stay the second, and within the second, that is what is going on on proper now. I seize it with each arms, man, and revel in. And I attempt to train that to my youngsters — benefit from the second. It is an excellent factor. It is good to be alive. It is good to share this sense with folks round you. It is unimaginable. It is an unimaginable factor.”