Upon his exit from Sepultura in late 1996, singer/guitarist/songwriter Max Cavalera almost automatically set out to form his next musical endeavor, the ultra-heavy Soulfly. Besides leaving one of the most popular heavy metal bands in the world, which he co-founded in the early '80s, he also had to deal with the unsolved murder of Dana Wells, his stepson and best friend. Using music as therapy to overcome his depression, Cavalera put together a band that included Roy "Rata" Mayorga on drums (ex-Thorn), Jackson Bandeira on second guitar (ex-Chico Science), while former Sepultura roadie Marcello D. Rapp rounded out the quartet on bass. Their self-titled debut album was released in the spring of 1998. Besides fronting Soulfly, Cavalera has branched out into other areas usually not associated with heavy metal musicians. He became a much-sought-after speaker at music conventions, as evidenced by his appearances at CMJ's New Music Marathon in New York and Holland's Crossing Boarder Festival, both in late 1997. He also guested on Deftones' breakthrough album Around the Fur, and signed on to sing a TV commercial for Sprite in his native land of Brazil. Soulfly's second album, Primitive, was released in the fall of 2000. The album was met with a split reaction, and Cavalera found himself the object of criticism from factions of his fanbase. The heavy amount of guest appearances and preference towards nu-metal lyrics were the main complaints, but Cavalera maintained his pride in his work and kept going, hitting the road and touring behind the album. He handled the production for 2002's III, and Soulfly returned again in 2004 with Prophecy. A year later Roadrunner reissued their self-titled first album as part of the label's 25th anniversary celebration. Then, in October, Soulfly's fifth album Dark Ages appeared in October 2005. Keeping with his style of switching up the lineup, Cavalera was backed this time out by bassist Bobby Burns, guitarist Marc Rizzo (ex-Ill Nino), and drummer Joe Nunez, who had previously played on Primitive. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide