Soulfly

Soulfly
Soulfly performing at Rockharz Open Air in Germany, 2015
Background information
Origin	Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
Genres	Groove metal thrash metal death metal nu metal (early)
Years active	1997–present
Labels	Nuclear Blast Roadrunner
Spinoffs	Cavalera Conspiracy
Spinoff of	Sepultura
Members	Max Cavalera Zyon Cavalera Mike Leon
Past member(s)	Marc Rizzo Marcelo "Cello" Dias Roy Mayorga Lúcio Maia Logan Mader Mikey Doling Joe Nunez Bobby Burns David Kinkade Tony Campos
Website	soulfly.com

Soulfly is an American heavy metal band formed Phoenix, Arizona in 1997. He was lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for Sepultura, his first band, until 1996. To date the group has released twelve studio albums, one tour EP, twenty-three singles, one video album, and twelve music videos. Their debut album, Soulfly, was released on April 21, 1998, while their most recent album, Totem, was released on August 5, 2022.

History

Self-titled album and Tribe (1997–1999)

Initially a nu metal band, Soulfly released their self-titled debut album in April 1998. Part of the mangue bit cultural movement, the album was released in memory of Max Cavalera's dead stepson. The record features many guests, such as members of Nação Zumbi, Fear Factory, Limp Bizkit, Cypress Hill, Deftones, and Dub War. It reached number 79 on the Billboard 200. This was followed by Tribe (1999), the band's first and only EP. It was released in Australia, Japan and the UK.

Primitive and 3 (2000–2003)

After the success of the band's self-titled debut album, their second album, Primitive, was released on September 26, 2000. It was an even bigger hit and is still the band's most popular album. It peaked at number 32 on the Billboard 200 and number 11 on the independent charts. 3 (or Soulfly 3) (stylized as ॐ) was released on June 25, 2002. It came in three different editions, a standard edition with 14 tracks, a limited European edition with 18 tracks, and a Japanese edition with 15 tracks. It's the first Soulfly album that was produced by Max Cavalera.

Prophecy and Dark Ages (2003–2007)

A new line-up was recruited in October 2003 to record the band's fourth album. The end result was 2004's Prophecy. The album has gone on to sell over 275,000 copies. Along with its successor, Dark Ages (2005), it takes influence from groove metal, thrash metal, death metal and world music. Soon after, Max and his brother Igor ended a 10-year feud and formed the supergroup Cavalera Conspiracy in 2007. Max Cavalera has been active in both groups ever since.

Conquer and Omen (2008–2011)

After a three year gap, Soulfly returned with their sixth studio album, Conquer, on July 29, 2008. It debuted at #66 on the U.S. Billboard 200 — Soulfly's highest Billboard peak since their 2002 release, 3. Four months earlier, Cavalera Conspiracy's debut album, Inflikted, was released. Omen (2010), at just over forty and a half minutes, is the band's second shortest album. It's the last album with bassist Bobby Burns and drummer Joe Nuñez. They got replaced by Asesino frontman Tony Campos and former Borknagar drummer David Kinkade in mid-2011.

Enslaved and Savages (2012–2014)

After the releases of Cavalera Conspiracy's second album, Blunt Force Trauma, on March 29, 2011, recording begun on Soulfly's eighth album. The end result was Enslaved, the band's final album with Roadrunner Records. It released on March 13, 2012 and includes "Soulfly VIII", the first Soulfly song to feature a violin. Not long after, they signed to Nuclear Blast Records and released Savages on September 30, 2013. The album debuted at No. 84 on the Billboard 200, selling 4,700 copies during the first week after the release.

Archangel and Ritual and (2015–2019)

At just thirty-six and a half minutes, Archangel(2015) is the shortest Soulfly album to date. With a peak position of number 130 on the Billboard 200, it's also the band's second-lowest charting album to date. This was followed by Ritual which released on October 19, 2018. It was the first Soulfly album to not debut on the Billboard 200. Despite this, it has guests Randy Blythe of Lamb of God, Ross Dolan of Immolation, and Mark Damon of The Pretty Reckless.

Totem and upcoming album (2019–present)

Most recently, the band has released Totem (2022) to favorable reviews. It's the first album since 2002 not to feature long running lead guitarist Marc Rizzo. He parted ways with the band in 2021. The album's producer Arthur Rizk, John Powers and Chris Ulsh contributed guitar solos. Cavalera said he would be "working on a new Soulfly this year, writing and hopefully recording" the band's next album for a 2025 release. This was confirmed in a January 2024 interview on the "Nu Pod With Joshua Toomey and Ro Kohli" podcast.

Musical style

Soulfly has been described as thrash metal, groove metal, death metal and alternative metal. Their earlier works are more in-line with nu metal, but they moved away from the genre after the early 2000s. They're also influenced by world music such as tribal music and Middle Eastern music.

Discography

See the main article: Soulfly discography

• Soulfly (1998)
• Primitive (2000)
• 3 (2002)
• Prophecy (2004)
• Dark Ages (2005)
• Conquer (2008)
• Omen (2010)
• Enslaved (2012)
• Savages (2013)
• Archangel (2015)
• Ritual (2018)
• Totem (2022)

Concert tours

• Supporting Snot (April–May 1998)
• The Song Remains Insane Tour (May–June 1998; August 1998)
• Ozzfest 1998 (July–August 1998)
• Strangeland Tour (September–November 1998)
• South American Tour (December 1998)
• Big Day Out 1999 (January 1999)
• Bring Da Shit Tour (April–May 1999; July–August 1999)
• Supporting Rammstein (June 1999)
• Abril Pro Rock (April 2000) Recife
• Ozzfest 2000
• Primitive Tour (September–December 2000; April–June 2001)
• Supporting Pantera (February–March 2001)
• Supporting Static-X (January–February 2002)
• Call to Arms Tour (June–July 2002; November 2002–July 2003)
• Supporting Slayer (August–September 2002)
• Prophecy Tour (March–October 2004)
• Disturbing the Peace (February–July 2005)
• The Dark Ages Tour (October 2005–October 2006)
• Australian Gigantour (October 2006)
• The Dark Ages Tour II (April–December 2007)
• Conquer Tour (August 2008–October 2009)
• Conquering North American (March–April 2010)
• Omen Tour (May–December 2011)
• Enslaved Tour (February–July 2012)
• Maximum Cavalera Tour (July 2012–August 2013)
• Savages Tour (October 2013–October 2014)
• From the Amazon to the Nile Tour, co-headlining with Nile (April 2018–May 2018)
• Totem Tour (August 2022 - present)