You know that tribal drum and the roar of "Roots Bloody Roots" even if you can't immediately place the band's name. That's Sepultura. And if you're now typing SEPULTURA Plzeň into a search engine, there's one urgent reason behind it that few people outside the hardcore fanbase know: after more than four decades, the band is definitively calling it quits. In March 2024 they began a two-year farewell tour, after which they will disband. This is not a marketing trick or a hiatus. It's the final round.
And one more detail up front, so you know who we're talking about: "sepultura" means "grave" in Portuguese. The band that named itself after a grave is now, paradoxically, touring the world with a message about celebrating life through death. If thrash metal has passed you by your whole life, take this article as an invitation. And if you've been growing up with Sepultura since worn-out cassette tapes, it will remind you why the name of that crew from Brazil means more to metal than just a cool logo on a T-shirt.
SEPULTURA Plzeň: why half of Czech metal is searching for that name right now
The phrase SEPULTURA Plzeň is being searched mainly because the Brazilian legends are on their definitive farewell and every live set is rarer than before. Anyone who wants to experience the band live should have their finger on the trigger.
Sepultura are no newcomers to the road. Over four decades they have collected fourteen gold records, toured more than eighty countries, and become one of the most influential metal bands of their era. The numbers speak for themselves: the band has released fifteen studio albums, sold over three million copies in the USA and twenty million worldwide, and earned gold and platinum certifications in France, Australia, Indonesia, Cyprus, and at home. This is not a club act you stumble across at every festival.
That is exactly why the topic of SEPULTURA Plzeň, and a nationwide Czech programme featuring such a name, is something a fan does not want to miss. With a band that is ending, the usual "they'll come back again" simply does not apply. Either you catch this wave of concerts, or there won't be another one.
Who Sepultura are and where they came from
The story begins in the mid-1980s in the Brazilian city of Belo Horizonte and is inseparably tied to two brothers. Without them, today's metal would sound different.
Sepultura is a Brazilian metal band founded in 1984 in Belo Horizonte by brothers Max and Igor Cavalera. It was not boyish dreaming about fame. The Cavalera brothers grew up in a hometown full of poverty and aggression, and they were inspired to start a band by bootleg recordings of Venom, Metallica, and Voivod. At first it was apparently not meant to last long - just a way to kill time in a city that didn't offer much for a teenager with long hair.
The road upward led through a small local label. Sepultura signed with Cogumelo Records in 1985 and that same year released the split EP Bestial Devastation with Brazilian band Overdose. A full debut followed shortly after. The debut album Morbid Visions came out in August 1986 and produced the first hit "Troops of Doom", which caught the attention of the press. The lineup as fans know it from the classic era was completed a year later. In 1987 the classic lineup was formed with the brothers, bassist Paulo Jr., and guitarist Andreas Kisser.
What is interesting is how the band evolved in terms of genre. Their sound gradually developed from aggressive thrash and death metal into styles that included groove metal, industrial influences, hardcore punk, and Brazilian tribal music. It was precisely this ability to constantly shed their skin that made them more than just another fast band from the second thrash wave.
Arise, Chaos A.D. and Roots: three albums that rewrote the rules
The entire legacy of Sepultura revolves around three albums. Anyone who wants to understand why the band means what it means should start there.
The band's most prominent albums are considered to be Arise from 1991, Chaos A.D. from 1993, and Roots from 1996. Each pushed the band in a different direction. The last of them went the furthest. Roots is Sepultura's sixth studio album, released in Europe on 20 February 1996, and it is the last regular album featuring founding vocalist and guitarist Max Cavalera. The record blended metal with Brazilian rhythms so boldly that it influenced an entire subsequent wave of bands. The album Roots became particularly important in the history of heavy metal and influenced the later bands of the nu-metal movement.
And here is one of the most powerful human moments in their entire history. The band was not content to record tribal rhythms in the comfort of a studio. Sepultura spent time in November 1995 with the Xavante tribe in the state of Mato Grosso and recorded the track "Itsari" directly there; the title means "roots" in the Xavante language and the track is part of a healing ceremonial chant. It was not a pose lasting a few hours. They stayed with the tribe for three days. And it was a project no one had funded before. Roadrunner Records approved an undertaking no metal label had previously paid for: transporting a Brazilian thrash band, a Californian producer, and a small recording team to Mato Grosso to jam with the tribe for two days and bring back the tapes as the backbone of a major-label metal record.
Roots also featured star guests. The track "Lookaway" featured Korn vocalist Jonathan Davis, then-Korn drummer David Silveria, DJ Lethal, and Faith No More and Mr. Bungle vocalist Mike Patton. That the album is still alive today is also demonstrated by where it has reached beyond metal clubs. "Itsari" is the walkout track of Brazilian UFC champion Alex Pereira, who plays it before every fight. And when it comes to reach in numbers, the streams say it all. Their crowning work "Roots" has over 225 million streams on Spotify.
Who is on stage today
Sepultura's lineup has changed many times over forty years, so you will not see the founding brothers on stage. You will, however, see a band that managed to survive even the most painful split in the history of the genre.
The turning point came in the mid-1990s. Max Cavalera left in 1997, Igor Cavalera then in 2006; the band was kept alive by Andreas Kisser and Paulo Jr. together with Derrick Green, who joined as vocalist in 1997. Few people believed at the time that Sepultura would survive Max's departure. They did. Green gave the band a second wind and remained behind the microphone for over two decades.
Today's core has held together for years and holds one understated record. The current lineup consists of Paulo Jr. together with guitarist Andreas Kisser (since 1987), vocalist Derrick Green (since 1997), and drummer Greyson Nekrutman (since 2024). Bassist Paulo Jr. is the only member who has been in the band from the very beginning. For this final chapter, a young man has taken the drum seat. For this final journey, Sepultura enlisted twenty-three-year-old American virtuoso Greyson Nekrutman as their new drummer and, as a quartet, set out on a series of tours across North America, Europe, and Latin America with a career-spanning setlist that honours forty years of existence.
The farewell tour Celebrating Life Through Death
This concert has a catch that means you should not hesitate: Sepultura is definitively ending. The farewell tour was announced well in advance and since then the band has been travelling the world for the last time.
In December 2023 the band announced a farewell run celebrating their fortieth anniversary. The tour received an eloquent name. It is called Celebrating Life Through Death. The current lineup (Kisser, Paulo Jr., Derrick Green, and newly Greyson Nekrutman) plays anthems from the Roots album during it; the tour began in March 2024 and is set to end at the close of 2026. A new recording also came out ahead of 2026. Tied to the end of the tour is the EP The Cloud of Unknowing from 2026.
The entire farewell is set to culminate at home in Brazil with a grand finale. The band confirmed that the very last concert will take place on 7 November at Mercado Livre Arena Pacaembu in São Paulo, alongside Metal Allegiance, Krisiun, and Sacred Reich. And if you are hoping the Cavalera brothers will share the stage one last time, you should probably expect the opposite. Founding brothers Max and Igor Cavalera are unlikely to reunite with the band for the final performance. In other words: if you have never seen the band live, no further opportunities will come along.
How not to miss the concert and what to do in Plzeň
Given that this is a farewell, it pays to act quickly for every confirmed date and to buy only through the official presale. And you can make a whole day in Plzeň around the concert, whether you are a die-hard metalhead or going with someone who is not into thrash.
The practical advice is simple. Always verify the date, venue, and tickets through the band's and promoter's official channels, not from resellers charging triple the price. Venues tend to have limited capacity, so counting on "I'll buy it at the door" may not work out. We continuously track the current overview of what is coming up in Plzeň and elsewhere in our concerts section and in the events calendar; as soon as a confirmed date appears, you will find it there with a link to the presale.
If you want to extend your day in Plzeň, the city's programme offers other options too. Fans of engines and industrial settings, which have an affinity with metal aesthetics, will appreciate Depo Moto Art right in Plzeň's Depo. Anyone coming with children can take the little ones to the animated film Mimoni a monstra at Plzeň's Cinema City. And if you prefer the quiet of classical arts over noise, there is theatre just outside Plzeň, such as Tyjátr Horažďovice - Lakomec in Nepomuk. These events have their own dates, so compare them with the date of any potential concert.
For a broader overview of artists who come to us, our artists section is also useful. Sepultura is one big name, but the Czech and Plzeň programme has plenty of others.
Frequently asked questions
Is Sepultura playing in Plzeň and when?
Always verify specific Czech dates through the band's and promoter's official channels and in our concerts section; once confirmed, we will list it with a link to the presale. The key point is that the band is on a two-year farewell tour, so any live set is rarer than before.
Is it true that this is a farewell tour?
Yes. In March 2024 the band launched a two-year farewell tour, after which they will disband. The very last concert is set to take place on 7 November at Mercado Livre Arena Pacaembu in São Paulo. There are therefore not many European stops left.
Will I see the founding Cavalera brothers?
Probably not. Max Cavalera left the band in 1997, Igor Cavalera then in 2006. Today's Sepultura is led by vocalist Derrick Green with guitarist Andreas Kisser and bassist Paulo Jr., who has been in the lineup from the very beginning.
What should I listen to before going to the concert?
The best entry point into the world of Sepultura is the albums Arise, Chaos A.D., and Roots. Put on "Roots Bloody Roots", "Territory", and "Refuse/Resist" and you will know the main pillars of their live set. Anyone who wants to understand the Brazilian soul of the band should head to "Itsari".
Is it worth going even if I don't normally listen to metal?
It is definitely worth considering. Sepultura is a band that blends metal with Brazilian rhythms and an energy you simply cannot experience from a recording. And given that this is a farewell after forty years, it is more of a historic event than a regular Friday night at a club.
Sources
- Concert overview and confirmed dates: concerts on kdykam and events calendar
- Tips for accompanying events in Plzeň: Depo Moto Art, Mimoni a monstra, Tyjátr Horažďovice - Lakomec
- Wikipedia (English): entries for Sepultura, Roots, and the band's member list - history, lineup, discography
- Loudwire and Parade - confirmation of the final concert on 7 November in São Paulo
- Blabbermouth and Louder (loudersound) - recording of "Itsari" with the Xavante tribe
- Riffology - context of the making of Roots and the progress of the farewell tour