Sepultura: Chaos A.D.

Chaos A.D. was the album responsible for consolidating Sepultura for an international audience, selling more than a million copies worldwide. Until the album’s release, no Brazilian band had received such acclaimed outside the country. The impact was so large that, at the time, there was no doubt: Sepultura was the biggest heavy metal band in the world. Released in 1993, Chaos A.D. represented a change in sound for the Minas Gerais quartet, with a more cadenced direction, filled with Brazilian music influences, while remaining equally heavy.

In this book, Vinicius Castro analyses the songs and stories behind the album, the cultural context and the reactions of journalists and musicians, in Brazil and abroad, to the band’s new sound — that incorporated regional elements such as moda de viola, classical acoustic guitar, samba school percussion and Olodum drums. A journalist who specializes in rock music, the author shows how we face a largely important album that, in addition to being a definitive metal recording, was able to go beyond the heavy metal universe to reach wider audiences.

About the band
Founded in 1984 in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, by brothers Max Cavalera (vocals and guitar) and Iggor Cavalera (drums), alongside Paulo Jr. (bass) and Jairo Guedz (guitar), Sepultura gained recognition in the Brazilian underground music scene with their debut album, 1986’s Morbid Visions. In 1991, they reached national and international audiences with Arise. Throughout the years, they went through a few changes in formation, including the arrival of Andreas Kisser in 1987, completing the band’s classic line-up, and the exclusion of Max Cavalera in 1996, when Derrick Green came in to take up vocals, followed by Iggor Cavalera also leaving the band. The biggest heavy metal band in the country, Sepultura was known for featuring rhythmic fusions allied to contemporary issues, leaving a definitive mark in the music scene with its aggressive, innovative sound.

About the author
Vinicius Castro studied Communications, with a Journalism major. He has worked in advertising for twenty years, as a marketing writer and creative director. He also works as a music researcher, writer and reporter. Alongside Amanda Mont’Alvão, he created the music content website Sounds Like Us.

About the collection
The O Livro do Disco collection was released in 2014 by Cobogó in order to present readers with distinct musical reflections about albums that were, and still are, essential to our cultural and, of course, emotional education. With each title, the reader is invited to dive deep in the history of albums that broke barriers, opened paths and defied convention. O Livro do Disco is for music fans, but also for those who desire a deeper, yet accessible, contact with the context and central figures of works that made music history. In times of fragmented listening and music access through streaming platforms, (re)encountering these albums in their totality is a way of listening to what they have to say about our times.

Specifications
Title Sepultura: Chaos A.D.
Author Vinicius Castro
Language Portuguese
Page count 176
Publisher Cobogó
ISBN 978-65-5691-180-9
Cover Radiográfico
Format Softcover
Size 13 x 19 cm
Year 2025
Price R$ 73.00