In a new interview with the RRBG podcast, former Sepultura and current Soulfly frontman Max Cavalera weighed in on the growing use of artificial intelligence in music creation — and made it clear that, in his view, AI will never be able to replicate genuine human collaboration.
Known for his decades of influential work and high-profile collaborations across metal, Cavalera pushed back against the idea that AI-generated tools could meaningfully replace the creative spark that comes from musicians working together organically.
Speaking about AI music generators that create melodies, harmonies, and lyrics through machine learning algorithms, Max said: “That’s one of my arguments with people about this whole A.I. shit. To me, that’s like what A.I. cannot do.
“You can’t really put people like me and Dino [Cazares] or me and Chino [Moreno], or me and Tom Araya, and you get a cool song out of it. A.I. can never do that. And they won’t be able to do it. They’ll do a false Xerox of it, but it’s not the same… I don’t give a shit what people say. It’s not the same, man, and it will never be.”
While Cavalera was firm in his belief that AI cannot recreate true artistic chemistry, he stopped short of completely rejecting the technology altogether. Instead, he expressed cautious optimism about humanity finding a way to live alongside it.
“My hope is that we can coexist with this thing; that’s my wish. ‘Cause I think some of it can be good, if it’s done the right way. I think we’re gonna actually learn to coexist with this A.I. technology and see where it goes from there. But the soul of the person, yeah, that’s a unique thing. Your heart, your passion, that’s a human thing, man.”
So effectively the opposite of Slipknot percussionist M. Shawn “Clown” Crahan and his opinion on artificial intelligence. Speaking of Soulfly, they’re gonna be on tour with Gwar and King Parrot soon. The carnage kicks off March 19 in their adopted hometown of Richmond, VA, and rampages through April 29, ending in Charlotte, NC. A complete list of dates is below. Get your tickets here.
3/19 Richmond VA The National
3/20 Reading PA Reverb
3/21 Albany NY Empire Live
3/22 Huntington NY The Paramount
3/24 Hartford CT The Webster
3/25 Wilmington DE The Queen
3/26 Sayreville NJ Starland Ballroom
3/27 Boston MA House Of Blues
3/28 Buffalo NY Town Ballroom
3/29 Columbus OH Newport Music Hall
3/31 Louisville KY Mercury Ballroom
4/1 St Louis MO The Pageant
4/2 Chicago IL Concord Music Hall
4/3 Fort Wayne IN Pieres
4/4 Saginaw MI The Vault
4/5 Green Bay WI Epic Events Center
4/7 Minneapolis MN First Avenue
4/8 Des Moines IA Val Air Ballroom
4/9 Tulsa OK Cains Ballroom
4/10 Lawrence KS The Granada
4/12 Grand Junction CO Mesa Theater
4/14 Portland OR Roseland Theater
4/15 Boise ID Treefort Music Hall
4/17 Sacramento CA Channel 24
4/18 Los Angeles CA The Belasco
4/19 San Diego CA House of Blues
4/20 Tucson AZ Rialto Theater
4/21 Albuquerque NM Sunshine Theater
4/23 Austin TX Emos
4/24 Houston TX Warehouse Live
4/25 Mobile AL Soul Kitchen Music Hall
4/27 Chattanooga TN The Signal
4/28 Asheville NC The Orange Peel
4/29 Charlotte NC The Fillmore
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