Seizing an opportunity to witness a resurrection unlike any other, Brisbane metal heads braved the heat and the rain and converged on The Tivoli to see Cavalera tear through Sepultura’s earliest and most brutal albums. Comprising brothers Igor and Max Cavalera, Sepultura’s founders, Cavalera’s Third World Trilogy tour finds the band revisiting their roots, playing a selection of songs from their recently re-recorded versions of Bestial Devastation, Morbid Visions and Schizophrenia. Joining them on the bill are Melbourne’s Algor Mortis and Brisbane’s Cryptivore.

Opening act Cryptivore are a local death metal band masterminded by Chris Anning. A multi-instrumentalist, Chris plays all the instruments on Cryptivore’s recordings, but tonight he plays only lead guitar alongside rhythm guitarist Josh Boast, vocalist Taylor Burnett, bassist Rhys Collins and drummer Cliff Young. Stylistically, Cryptivore’s sound is heavily indebted to death metal pioneers such as Carcass and Morbid Angel, with a nod to the grind stylings from Napalm Death’s Utopia Banished era. Burnett does an admirable job of getting the audience warmed up, but their music —while enjoyable— is not particularly memorable.

Melbourne’s Algor Mortis were up next. Another death metal act, they are more punishing than Cryptivore and take their cues from the likes of Cannibal Corpse and Deicide. Early songs in their set were plagued by unevenly mixed vocals making it a struggle to hear vocalist Cecilia Keane for the first two or three songs. Despite these hiccups, the group pummelled through a brutal set of tracks from their self-titled EP, recent album Stages Of Death and their latest double single Ensoulment/Soiled. Hilariously, Keane’s drink of choice between songs —a single popper, complete with straw— provided the night’s greatest juxtaposition. Watching her shift seamlessly from growling out lyrics about death and dismemberment to sipping on a drink associated with children’s lunchboxes was a sight to behold indeed.

Entrées consumed, it was time for the main course and the audience was beyond eager to sample whatever musical morsels Igor and Max had prepared. Joining the Cavalera brothers onstage was Igor Amadeus Cavalera, Max’s son, on bass and Travis Stone on lead guitar. Walking on to the eerie ambience of The Curse, the opening track from the Bestial Devastation EP, the band wasted no time launching into its title track before following it with Antichrist and Necromancer. Morbid Visions was next on the chopping block with the band powering through frantic and fevered renditions of the album’s opening track, Mayhem, Crucifixion and Funeral Rites.

Schizophrenia’s tracks were far and above the highlight of the evening. As great as the first two releases are, with Schizophrenia, Sepultura truly found their feet, establishing themselves as frontrunners in the then-burgeoning thrash metal scene. Unfortunately, the original release was plagued by poor production which hampered its reputation. The brothers’ decision to re-record and release the album under their Cavalera moniker was therefore welcome news to thrash fans everywhere.

Performed live, the selections from Schizophrenia crackled with an intensity only hinted at in their original form. Inquisition Symphony became the instrumental epic it was always intended to be, whilst From The Past Comes The Storms and Septic Schizo were performed with an almost rabid fury that infected everyone within The Tivoli. Finishing the main set with a medley of songs from Chaos A. D., Refuse/Resist, Propaganda and Territory, the band took a short break, before ending the night with a rousing rendition of Troops Of Doom.

Brisbane’s metal fans have waited a long time to see these songs performed by their original composers. Max’s departure, following the release of Roots, meant that the Chaos Worldwide shows (in September 1994) were the last time both brothers toured Australia with Sepultura. Although they have returned since their reunion, the focus has been on other albums —namely separate tours focussing on Roots and another for Beneath The Remains and Arise—as opposed to the group’s earliest material. For many, this would have been their first chance to see these songs live, but that said, for those old enough to have witnessed them previously, the experience was in no way diminished. Cavalera delivered a precision set of some of Sepultura’s finest material, Max’s voice was as strong and terrifying as ever and the band never missed a beat. 2025 may have only just begun, but, in terms of heavy metal shows, there is little doubt that this performance will be remembered as an obvious highlight.

Words by Nick Stephan

Photo courtesy of exitfest.org