| abstract | - His father, Graziano Cavalera, was an employee of the Italian Consulate in São Paulo and died at 40 years of age and is buried in Belo Horizonte; Max was only 9 when his father died. Max's family were in a state of financial crisis and family turbulence when he formed Sepultura with Jairo Guedes, Paulo Pinto, and his younger brother Igor Cavalera. In the early 1990s he relocated to Phoenix, Arizona. He did not begin to make "spiritual" music until after he quit Sepultura. His earlier lyrics for Soulfly were influenced by religion and spirituality, though he is very critical of religion. His later albums, starting with Dark Ages, began to incoporate lyrical themes of violence, warfare, anger, and hatred. His albums have all been dedicated to God, and he has often been depicted by the press as a man of religion, especially in America, something that Cavalera himself says he does not understand. As he himself put it: "When asked in an interview whether he was a Christian and whether Soulfly was a Christian band, he said: "He also stated that he does believe in God, "But it might be different than the God the preacher preaches about." Of enduring influence to his music is the untimely death of Dana Wells, his stepson, who was killed after the release of Roots in 1996. The songs "Bleed", "First Commandment", "Pain", and "Tree Of Pain" are tributes to Wells, as well as Deftones' song "Headup", in which Cavalera co-wrote and was featured. He has reunited with his brother Igor, in their band Cavalera Conspiracy, and wrote and performed on Soulfly's Conquer, which was released in 2008."
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