First show of Sepultura’s farewell tour is in BH, the band’s birthplace | Minas Gerais

The year was 1984, when a group of boys got together to form a new band in Belo Horizonte. She gained an unconventional name that refers to death: Grave.

40 years later, the artists — today with gray hair and thousands of fans around the world — say goodbye to the stage on a tour that promises to “celebrate life through death”. The band, which is considered the biggest name in Brazilian heavy metal, will do its last tour in 2024.

Current members Derrick Green, Paulo Jr., Andreas Kisser and Eloy Casagrande announced the end of their activities last year.

With sold out tickets, the first show of the farewell tour of the group will be in BH, this Friday (1st). (read more below)

The band has an enviable CV in the musical world. There are more than 20 million records sold and a legion of fans who cherish the memories of the last shows.

In 1995, administrative assistant Milton Júnior, from the state of São Paulo, saw Sepultura’s first show. At the time, 17 years, he had to go with his mother so she could see “the type of environment” her son was attending.

The presentation was at parking of Anhembi, in São Paulo. The group did a quick opening for the Metallica show, but it was enough to keep the teenager’s attention.

“There were so many people in line that I thought I wouldn’t be able to get in in time to see them. It was as if that day, with them in front of me, it hit me that they really are real. It stopped being something distant”, said Milton

Why Sepultura is the most successful heavy metal band in Brazil

In its four decades of career, the group became a metal reference, mixing the heavy sound with elements of tribal, indigenous music and African.

Recognition outside Brazil came mainly from the album “Roots“, released in 1996, with Carlinhos Brown as one of the collaborators. The album was the last one with the participation of Max Cavalera, former vocalistwho announced his departure in 1996, amid a split in the band.

For Minas Gerais fan Bruno de Andrade Rocha, from Belo Horizonte, the band’s legacy goes beyond music. Heavy metal lyrics were inspirations for Bruno to face the challenges of his youth.

“The band opened many doors for me, including learning English, and they influence me to this day, and probably for the rest of my life. Farewell is a mix of feelings. I feel sadness, but a lot of pride”, he said.

In the heart of the bohemian Santa Tereza neighborhood, in the East Region of Belo Horizonte, the traditional Bar do Bolão keeps an old gift, left by bassist Paulo Jr. in the year of 1994. The figurine moonman of the Video Music Awards (VMA), is one of the bar’s relics.

In addition to the little silver astronaut, three years later, Paulo Jr. also presented the bar with a figurine of the gold clip Vídeo Music Brasil (VMB). At the time, the band had won the title with the animation “Ratamahatta”, in 1997.

“The boys [da banda] They came from a young age, always at night, after shows. They stayed all night and went until morning. There was a lot of beer and bread with sauce. They drank there at the counter, and kept us company”, recalled Sílvio Júnior, from the third generation of Bar do Bolão’s management.

The final tour, called “Celebrating Life Through Death”, will be recorded and will give rise to a live album, with 40 songs recorded in 40 different cities. The last series of shows will last 18 months and will tour countries in Latin America and the United States.

“Sepultura will stop. It will die. A conscious and planned death,” said the band’s statement.

However, three days before the debut of their farewell tour show, the group announced the replacement of drummer Eloy Casagrande – in the band since 2011 – with North American musician Greyson Nekrutman.

In a statement, Andreas Kisser (guitar), Derrick Green (vocals) and Paulo Xisto Jr. (bass) reveal that they were surprised on February 6 by Eloy Casagrande’s decision to leave the band.

For photographer Alexandre Biciati, one of the fans who cherishes the good memories of the last shows and a collection of the band’s albums, the group showed adaptability for decades and, despite the feeling of sadness with the announcement of the end, the artists had a “noble” attitude in celebrating their career with the new tour.

“Belo Horizonte receives a gift by being the first city to host the farewell tour. This relationship of belonging that people from Belo Horizonte have in relation to the band will favor a positive exchange during the show. It’s time to throw flowers to the devils”, said Alexander.