Max Cavalera. His name is synonymous with the modern metal era. Do I even need to write about the impact Max has made on the metal scene the last 25-plus years? If you don’t know at least half the story, you might as well turn your metal card in right now. The foundation he laid down as the mastermind of Sepultura during their legendary rise to prominence may never be repeated, simply because the music business has changed so much since the 80s. As a member of one of the most ground-breaking bands as there ever has been in metal, the impact Max has made on several sub-genres, not to mention creating a few himself. It’s undeniable. Along the way he’s had many well-documented highs and lows personally and professionally. It is a very interesting prospect when a very famous person, who has had many battles in the public eye, writes their autobiography. Max to his word, has chosen to tell his life story so far from a very humble and honest perspective, not glossing over his mistakes, or over inflating his triumphs as he takes the reader on the journey of his life in and out of metal.

Starting with his childhood and early life, My Bloody Roots from Sepultura to Soulfly and Beyond (Jawbone Press) tells Max’s life story and humble beginnings. He goes into great detail how he and his brother Igor had very happy childhood in Bello Horizonte, Brazil, and some of the funny things he’s gotten into. Max’s father was a big influence on his life, always promoting a love of family and music which clearly has guided his entire being all these years. The loss of his father has stayed with Max and also colored a lot of his experiences as grown man too. Past childhood, we are taken to the teenage Cavalera’s home life and how they gravitated to metal and punk rock simultaneously. Focusing their energies together, Max and Igor’s raw style musically helped turn them into a creative powerhouse they would become., innovating screaming and playing in metal. Writing a truly unvarnished account about his rise to fame and the many mistakes that he made along the way with alcohol and drugs on occasion, coupled with is sense of reckless abandon, you have to be impressed with the candor put forth by Max and venerable music journalist Joel McIver. It’s definitely a warts and all account.

We are regaled with some amazing stories, such as Max getting baptized in a church tomb under the Vatican as a young boy, to running afoul of Lemmy a few times, to other musical highlights such as earning Gold records (when they counted) and headlining major music festivals around the world. The path to Sepultura wasn’t a straight one, and even he marvels at some of the things that were achieved in their heyday of the late 80s and early 90s. One surprising thing about the book is the attention to paid to his anguished split from Sepultura in late 1996. He openly talks about the events leading to the rift (possibly it was coming for some time) and the painful betrayal he felt. However, much of this story has been told over and over, and certain details seem glossed over and omitted on purpose, and it’s totally a good thing. There’s no real revelatory moment here, and this reviewer appreciates it. This is also possibly owed to the fact of Max reuniting with Igor the last few years and not wanting to fully revisit that time, open up old wounds. Especially with all that business behind them. When so much bad blood has been spilled in public over the years, it’s likely for the best.

While the loss of father and namesake Massimiliano shaped his youth, the tragic death’s of his stepson Dana Wells and his grandson Moses, instead of filling him with bitterness, were events that hurt tragically, but pulled his family together. The Max Cavalera story is really his family history. Along with his wife Gloria, who Max considers his rock; they are all a very tight-knit unit with a lot of love and music around all the time. The way he was raised is the way he is now as a husband, father and grandfather. Mostly My Bloody Roots is a love letter to his home land Brazil and a toast to an explored life. Touring with his many bands, and exploring other cultures and world music to incorporate into his own his time off, this give him the fuel for life that he needs.

8.5/10

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KEITH CHACHKES