Former Sepultura frontman Max Cavalera quit the influential Brazilian outfit 20 years ago and fans have been clamoring for a reunion ever since. Celebrating two decades since the release of Roots with his brother and ex-Sepultura drummer Iggor this year, Max has now revealed how history could have been different.

In a recent interview with Metal Insider, Max reflected on the tumultuous times that led to his abrupt departure and the formation of his next group, Soulfly. "Well, looking back now, it was a really hard time in my life, a very difficult period, because I never thought I was going to leave the band. For the first month I didn’t even want to play anymore, I was like, ‘I’m done with this.’ I just wanted to get high and get drunk and not give a f--k," he said.

The guitarist / vocalist went on to add that he slowly began writing again, which morphed into the Soulfly venture. However, he lamented not handling things differently in 1996. "Sepultura was really close to my heart, it was like my baby," Max began, continuing, "Now, after all this time passed and I think about it, Iggor and I should have just fired those two a--holes and kept the name; why we didn’t do that, I don’t know. At that time we didn’t have the vision to do it, so I just quit."

Explaining how personal Roots is for him and tying it in with the current commemorative tour, Max added, "That’s why I think this tour is so special, because I get to go back to that time to an album where I was very much involved with the ideas of the album – those were almost all of my own ideas, so Roots is very close to my heart. Now, 20 years later, to go back and do this with Iggor again is amazing — it’s the best thing to come out of this story. It’s a happy ending, even though we had to go through all that hardship to get to where we are now."

Since splitting with Max, Sepultura have soldiered on with vocalist Derrick Green, releasing seven studio albums. Igorr left the band in 2006 and reunited with his brother Max under Cavalera Conspiracy, with three records out in total.

For a list of remaining dates on the 'Max and Iggor Cavalera Return to Roots' tour, head to our 2016 Guide to Rock + Metal Tours.

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