30 April 4th-April 10th, 2024 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | Band Together Max and Igor Cavalera make new band Go Ahead and Die a family affair. BY TOM REARDON I s there anything more American than family? Most of the talking head politi- cians would have us believe that this is the case. “Family first,” they say, after oil, guns, money and maybe God. “Family first,” though, is one of the mantras we’re going to hear over and over in this, the most fucked-up election year of all time. Luckily, music often cuts through the bullshit, and it’s even better when it happens right in our backyard. Go Ahead and Die is a relatively new band from the Cavalera family (Soulfly/Cavalera Conspiracy/Nailbomb/Incite/Healing Magic/ex-Sepultura/Lody Kong) led by Igor Amadeus Cavalera and his father and metal legend, Max Cavalera, and they are, in a word, excellent. “(Go Ahead And Die) was originally a pandemic project. We did our (self-titled) first album during the COVID lockdown and I wasn’t sure if we were ever going to play this stuff or if there would be another album. We had so much fun, though, that we made a second one and I think it was a giant leap in the right direction. The reac- tion has been great, but it can be intimi- dating to go out with a new band whether or not it has the Cavalera name attached to it,” says Igor Cavalera over the phone from Colorado. While Max Cavalera has had the oppor- tunity to work with his sons before (Zyon plays drums in Soulfly, for example, and Igor plays bass in Cavalera Conspiracy), it’s a little different this time around because Go Ahead and Die is a brand-new band. “Doing stuff with Igor is great. We do a lot of sharing. He comes with a shitload of riffs, and I come with a shitload of riffs. The first record was more of an experi- ment, but with this second one, we really started to click. I think we put on an extra gear, especially Igor. I feel like I kind of gave him the keys to the car and said, you know, ‘You drive this time. I’m going to sit in the back,’” Max Cavalera says. Listening to the two men talk about playing music together as father and son is refreshing. “I could not be more proud as a dad, just watching (Igor) work. He produced (the band’s 2023 album, “Unhealthy Mechanisms”) and did a great job. I saw a lot of me in him. The desire to make the record work and the passion to make the best song possible. He’s not a yes man, either. He’s not afraid to say he doesn’t like something. He’s a hardass and I like that. He challenges me to be better myself,” Max says. Go Ahead And Die is also angry, socially and politically conscious and friendly as all get out, and “Unhealthy Mechanisms” is completely badass. Wait, what? Friendly? Yes. You won’t find a nicer group of people dressed mostly in black anywhere. The four members of Go Ahead and Die were nice enough to take some time on one of their few days off on the road to join a series of phone calls that were as enter- taining as their awesome video for their song “Drug-O-Cop,” which features Max Cavalera as his alter ego, “Sheriff Buzzkill.” “The song is really inspired by ‘Police Truck’ by the Dead Kennedys. Igor came up with the opening riff and I thought it was perfect and then he came up with the idea for the video,” Max says. For Igor Cavalera and the rest of the band, drummer Johnny Valles and bassist Jackie Cruz (a member of the excellent local Phoenix bands Jade Helm and Man Hands), it’s been a blast to take Go Ahead and Die on the road for the first time, even if there is the occasional hiccup. “It’s life on the road. It’s not as glam- orous as people think. Some of my friends, even some of my best friends, assume that it’s Champagne and bubble baths on tour, but it’s actually the opposite. It comes with its hardships, but at the end of the day to have fun and play music with people that you love, you know, that’s the fun part of it,” Igor says. For Cruz, who is typically a guitar player, the experience of being a first-time bassist playing on Go Ahead and Die’s first tour has been eye-opening, to say the least. “It’s been different. With Man Hands, we did a two-week East Coast tour, but on this one, we sleep on a bus and it’s a little more comfortable in certain ways. I had a couple of months to learn how to play the bass, so Igor taught me all the songs. I feel really grateful to have the opportunity to do this,” Cruz says. Valles, who has been playing profes- sionally for about a decade, had this to say about his new rhythm section partner: “She’s new to it, but she’s been holding it down. The fans love her and she’s been really easy to work with. It’s been a blast.” It’s really rare to speak to four different members of a band and have all of them sound like they’re having the time of their lives. For Valles, who joined the band for “Unhealthy Mechanisms” and is the only non-Valley resident in the band, his enthusiasm for Go Ahead and Die’s approach to punk/thrash metal is infectious, including its spiritual link to Max Cavalera and Alex Newport’s genre-smashing Nailbomb project from the mid-1990s. “I have always referred to Go Ahead and Die as Nailbomb 2.0. It definitely has that kind of vibe. I love what they were doing on the (self-titled) record, and when they gave me the opportunity to do ‘Unhealthy Mechanisms,’ I really tried to push the envelope with tempos and adding more of my influence from stuff like Napalm Death and all these faster bands that I love,” says Valles. The addition of Valles, who also plays with Igor Cavalera in Healing Magic, was a great call. Both the younger and the older Cavalera talked about how “Unhealthy Mechanisms” feels more like a record by a band rather than just a “pandemic” project. “I think with this second Go Ahead and Die record, the involvement of Johnny on drums was a big change for me because he’s one of my best friends. He has a total grind/crust/punk background, and all of his bands have kind of been in that style, so he’s the perfect drummer for it,” Igor says. “Everything is the old-school way (with Go Ahead and Die). We have amps on stage and we’re not depending on any gimmicks to make this thing work. It’s all about the true nature and power of the song and the sound. This is the spirit of hardcore and metal. When you went to see the Circle Jerks or Black Flag, they didn’t need anything other than the music. Go Ahead and Die is the true essence of that power and I love it,” Max Cavalera says. We highly recommend checking out “Unhealthy Mechanisms.” The album is a heady mixture of excellent, socially aware lyrics, chugging guitars and propulsive drums. The future is bright for Go Ahead and Die, and while the name of the band might seem overtly negative, the message is anything but. “I want to inspire people to put them- selves out there, even if they think what they’re doing sucks. That’s probably just in your own head. There might be a million people out there that love it. This is meant to try and inspire people and lift them up, even though the content might be pretty dark. Even if one person is inspired, then that would be enough to validate making this stuff. We all depend on each other,” Igor Cavalera says. Maybe more of America should pay attention to the Cavalera family values than those of people who run for office. Go Ahead And Die on tour in Michigan. From left: Jackie Cruz, Igor A. Cavalera, Max Cavalera and Johnny Valles. (Photo courtesy of Go Ahead and Die) “I WANT TO INSPIRE PEOPLE TO PUT THEMSELVES OUT THERE, EVEN IF THEY THINK WHAT THEY’RE DOING SUCKS.” ▼ Music
