Interview by Christopher Mygrant

World of Fandom: First off, I want to say thanks for taking the time to speak with us.

Andreas Kisser: Cool. No problem.

WOF: After the many years of performing and surviving in a very strenuous industry, how do you maintain the desire to continue?

Andreas: I don’t know. I think music itself. It’s something that I love to do. It’s just a privilege to be apart of a band like Sepultura. That has had the chance to travel the world so many times. We have been traveling the world since 1989 when we started our first tour outside Brazil. Sepultura is so respected everywhere and it’s a great feeling to see new kids starting to listen to our music. It’s great to be apart of that. I think music is a beautiful thing and I think it keeps you young. It’s like a very powerful energy. I don’t see myself doing anything else.

WOF: But how do rejuvenate yourself and your guitar playing so that you aren’t producing the same sound over and over?

Andreas: This is something that Sepultura has always had. Trying to reach new elements and new influences. Like I said, we have the privilege to travel the world so we are always collecting information. Like meeting new people, listening to new music, knowing new bands and knowing new musicians and stuff. I think that all the reason to put something out as a new album or new DVD or whatever is because you have something new to show. Sepultura has always kept that. We work with so many different musicians from all over the world and that’s the way we grow. It’s a great experience. Not only musical experience, but also for myself as a person point-of-view. We learn new languages and many new ways of seeing things. We don’t see the world only by the news or by the TV. We actually go in different countries and feel the problems and struggles straight from the people who live there. It’s a great life and much better than sitting in a fucking office throughout your whole life doing the same stuff over and over and over again.

WOF: So it appears that you all are always in school. You always have a history lesson being taught.

Andreas: Yeah, yeah. The stage is the best school for us and to get there you have to travel the world and that’s even better.

WOF: I guess it would be an accurate statement, about you, that still performing after all these years is still rewarding.

Andreas: Yeah definitely. Like I said, I love what I do and music has so many different ways you can go. It’s like a world without borders. Without limits. There is something always out there ready to be discovered that is always exciting.

WOF: What have been your regrets during your years as a musician and with Sepultura?

Andreas: Musically speaking, I don’t feel any regret at all. We did so many stuff with so many different people and I think that helps to show what Sepultura is all about. Always try to look for something new to explore in music. But one regret I have is not being so much aware of the business part. We lost our manager. We lost our singer. Changing record labels and all that. I trust too much, uh, [in] people and I think I shouldn’t do that especially in the music industry and business and stuff.

WOF: Yes, from what has been said, the music industry can get pretty intense and you really do not know who has your best interest at heart.

Andreas: Yeah, like any other business and when money is involved, it’s cutthroat. But seeing it more in a positive perspective, that’s how we learn. There is no way you can learn if you don’t pass through some bumps or get some punches in the face. That’s the only way you’ll learn. So, no really regret, but I could be more aware of what was going on in the past so we could be more prepared now. But that’s the way it happens and we feel much better now. I am more aware of what’s going on and have more control of what’s going on nowadays and that only happened because of all the bullshit that happened in the past.

WOF: Live and learn as the old saying goes.

Andreas: Exactly. That’s the only way.

WOF: Is there a CD that Sepultura still needs to make in order for you all to say, ‘Hey, we have made the ultimate Sepultura CD’? If not, which album most defines Sepultura?

Andreas: Um, I don’t know man. (laughing)

WOF: Or is it like you mentioned it is just an ongoing thing….

Andreas: Yeah, the satisfaction goes day by day. It’s not like, uh, a kind of feeling that stays forever. You know, I am very proud of what Sepultura has achieved. A worldwide, known name and, you know, just the chance to go to places like Indonesia and Russia and everywhere in the world. I don’t know, I think the quest for it [the satisfaction] is more important to reach because that’s life itself. You’re always fighting for something and that’s the beauty of it all. I don’t feel we have to reach some place that we have to feel totally satisfied and done.

WOF: Regarding the latest CD and DVD release, did you feel pressure to release such a project knowing that a person is expecting to feel like they are attending the show? Especially if that person has seen a live performance of the band. Was there a conscious effort to ensure the dynamics of Sepultura were captured?

Andreas: That was a real concern. To make a gig, to film a show here in Brazil with our crowd which is one of the best places for us to play. We did a show with Motorhead in Germany, in Duesseldorf, where they were filming their DVD…

WOF: (interjecting) which they sing your praises and dedicate a song to you all.

Andreas: Yeah, yeah, it was awesome!

WOF: Forgive the interruption, please continue.

Andreas: You know, because we are on the same label, same management and stuff, we use all the structure to record our show also. But at the end, it was not our crowd, it was not our stage, it was not our setup so we felt a lot of limitations to present that as a Sepultura concert. We did put three songs from that show as bonus tracks for the DVD, but we wanted to make sure we did like the whole complete show that shows our crowd feeding us their energy while we were on stage. We filmed the show in San Paulo [Brazil] and it was an unbelievable night. I think we did capture a lot of the good and heavy vibe that we had that night on our DVD. I am very happy with the final result. The crowd was fucking amazing. Probably 90 percent of the people were wearing Sepultura shirts. So you could feel that everybody that was there was really a Sepultura diehard fan. That makes the difference.

WOF: What has been the greatest reward in your life?

Andreas: I think both music and family. I think, for me, I cannot live without either one of them. They balance my life. While on tour, I go back home and recharge and vise versa. When I go on tour I recharge my musical feelings and all that. Just to be here today in Sepultura after 20 years and having a family with three kids and the same wife for fifteen years, I think this is a reward for me. That’s the way, I think, I dreamed to be. It’s unbelievably working out.

WOF: By the way, congratulations on the latest edition to your family. Children are great.

Andreas: Thank you, thank you. Yes, I love them.

WOF: Away from music you have your family, which is the most important, but what outlet allows you to let loose and enjoy?

Andreas: I mean, football, I am a fanatic; you know soccer here in Brazil. It’s great that I know and have the chance to meet my idols in football and that’s something, apart from family and music, that I put my energy into. Not only watching the games and following my team, but also playing with friends here. I love to play the sport. It’s healthy. Not only for the body, but for the mind too. At least for me.

WOF: It appears you lead a very complete and fulfilled life. Not many musicians that I have interviewed have sounded as such.

Andreas: I know. Many artists, they are afraid to have a family because they are away so much on tours and stuff like that. But as long as you accept that, you learn how to live with that. There’s no other way. I mean, there’s no illusion. You have to be away to be a musician and to present your music worldwide. But at the same time, you have to have the understanding of everybody else around you. I miss my wife and kids a lot and they miss me a lot, but that’s the way our life is. That’s what daddy does. That’s the job. That’s what makes the money to pay for school, the home, all the stuff that they do, food and all that. As long as we understand that, there’s no illusions involved and we can deal better with the bad part of it. There is no job that is perfect. I see a lot of family’s that live at the same house and daddy is everyday there and they’re not a family. There just like unhappy people and they don’t know what they are doing. It’s not about the amount of time you are with the family, but the quality time you have is the most important. I am very lucky to have the wife I have and to build a career and life like that. We deal with our problems and don’t try to hide them. We face them. We try to be very open with our kids so they understand what’s going on. You know, so there are no surprises.

WOF: How is your solo endeavor coming along?

Andreas: I am preparing an album now. I already record some parts. It’s gonna be a double album. One album is going to be more related to electric guitar and a band and singing and all that. The second album is going to be more acoustic guitar with percussion and more instrumental and maybe some strings. There is a lot of stuff to do, but hopefully the next few months I can finish all the recording and then start mixing slowly.

WOF: When can this double album be expected to hit the market?

Andreas: I don’t have really a release date or due date to put it out. I’m going to take my time and really do something that I feel would be right. It’s in motion, it’s going on and it’s great. You know, I have so much lying around, you know like songs and riffs that I’m putting together now. It’s going to be interesting.

WOF: When will Sepultura tour the States?

Andreas: The new album [Dante XXI] will be out in March and we will probably go to Europe first and hopefully then America. We’re trying to find a group package to tour America and hopefully we can like get really cool bands to out on tour together.

WOF: Well Andreas, I have come to my final question. I am asking because as a fan of Sepultura, I would be doing a disservice to all the fans that may have the same inquiry. You may choose not to comment or just hang up and if that is the case, then I completely understand. Okay, here we go.

Do you ever foresee a time when Sepultura and Max Cavalera will again perform along side each other?

Andreas: The doors are open. Everybody is still alive and well. I think it’s possible. It would be great actually. We never had really personal problems between inside the band. Everything was going on outside between mangers and all that crap. I’m thinking about now, our new album and everything else, but all I can say it that the doors are open. It just depends on many things. I think that um, how can I say, it can happen. I don’t know if it’s soon or later, but it would be great to play together again.

WOF: Yes, it would be great. Once again playing in harmony.

Andreas: Yeah, it would be cool. We’ll see what happens.

WOF: Andreas, as I mentioned at the onset of the interview, World of Fandom appreciates the time you took out of your schedule to speak with us. I would just like to say that I commend you for the words spoken earlier regarding your family.

Andreas: Yeah, no problem man. I thank you for the opportunity and hope to see you on tour.

Sepultura is: Andreas Kisser, Derrick Green, Igor Cavalera, and Paulo Jr.