Interview with Soulfly guitarist Marc Rizzo

In rock and roll music, we sometimes find individuals who seem to be able to do it all. They sing, they play guitar, they’re in a band (sometimes more than one), they do solo material, they produce for other artists. One of these individuals is Marc Rizzo, currently the guitarist for the band Soulfly, but also solo artist, member of Cavalera Conspiracy, former member of Ill Nino and someone who works with other bands and musicians as well. The latest of Marc’s projects is the debut album from the aforementioned Cavalera Conspiracy titled INFLIKTED and just about to be released in North America. Recently we caught up with Marc to talk to him a bit about his busy and vibrant life in music. Unfortunately the interview was cut a bit short because he happened to lose reception on his phone while driving through a tunnel.

Just to start off, you are of course currently the guitarist for the popular metal band Soulfly. Tell us, how did you first meet the guys from the band and end up joining?
Marc: Yeah basically right after I quit Ill Nino in 2003, um, I started working on my solo record and literally like a day or two after I quit, Roadrunner Records called me up and asked me if I’d be interested in joining Soulfly and I was like “hell yeah man.” I was a huge fan of Soulfly growing up and Sepultura and a big Max Cavalera fan so I was like “absolutely man.” So maybe a month later they flew me out and we started making the record and went on tour and you know it was almost five years ago now and it was amazing and it’s still amazing, a dream come true.

You were of course part of another popular metal band, Ill Nino for a few years back at the start of the twenty-first century. Looking back now, how do you feel about your stint with the band? Are you pleased with how it turned out?
Marc: Um, you know the two records that I co-wrote and was on, you know I think it was cool at the time, but I feel that in this point in my career, between Cavelera Conspiracy, Soulfly and my solo stuff, I’m definitely more interested in being known for these three projects that I got going on. I’m really proud of these records and it’s been the best time of my life, the past five years since I joined Soulfly.

Although fans know of you predominantly from your work with Soulfly, you are also currently involved in another very big project called Cavalera Conspiracy which features members from Sepultura and Gojira. How did this band come about in the first place?
Marc: Uh, well Max and Igor started talking maybe a year or two ago, we did a show together doing some old Sepultura songs and it was just amazing. I mean for me, it was a dream come true because I was a huge Max and Igor fan when I was a kid, you know I was crazy into Sepultura. So when they asked me to join the band, I was just so excited man. And the record came out amazing, I mean, I’m an old Sepultura fan and from a fan perspective, people are going to be so excited when they hear this record, it’s a total throwback to the thrash era of Sepultura.

The debut album from Cavalera Conspiracy called INFLIKTED is set to be released March 25th in North America so the album is likely pretty much completed by now. Now that it’s finished or at least close to being done, how do you feel about this record and are you pleased with the result?
Marc: Yeah it’s done, we were out in Paris a couple of weeks ago to shoot the video and yeah it was great, awesome, great time and I’m so happy about that record, it’s definitely one of my favorite records that I’ve ever done. I’m really excited about it, it comes out in March and I can’t wait for it to come out.

To produce INFLIKTED, you used the services of Logan Mader, a guitarist formerly of Machine Head and someone you played with in Soulfly. Why did you decide to go with Logan on this album?
Marc: Well I think Logan right now is one of the best producers/engineers out there, I mean he’s amazing. The job he did on the Cavelera record was phenomenal, honestly I think it’s the best sounding record I’ve ever made and I think we can owe that to Logan, I mean the guy is phenomenal at what he does so he definitely added to the band you know….

I know it’s still early in the band’s existence, but what do you see in the future for Cavalera Conspiracy? Is it just a one off project or could you see this continuing on for years and years?
Marc: Uh, yeah definitely. It’s definitely going to be a full-time band; we’re all excited about it. We’re going to do both you know, this summer we’re going on tour with the Cavelera Conspiracy and Soulfly back to back you know. So yeah, I see this as definitely sticking.

There is so much going on with you musically these days, but one thing I’m sure people will be very excited about is the forthcoming Soulfly album which is set to be released this summer. Can you let us in on some details about the record and what we can expect from it?
Marc: Basically we continued where we left off with Dark Ages, it’s a full blown, brass metal record, um and again, I’m extremely excited about that record to drop too. It definitely shows growth from Dark Ages. Soulfly fans are going to be crazy about it when they hear it.

Would you say it’s harder sounding?
Marc: Yeah it’s harder. It’s harder, it’s faster, it’s a lot more technical, there are a lot more solos going on, crazy riffs, I mean this is the record man, I’m really excited about this one.

Now you have a solo tour planned for February through a number of U.S. cities. How did this tour come about and will you be sticking to strictly solo material?
Marc: Yeah I got two records out on Shrapnell Records and it’s just you know instrumental shred metal combined with flamenco, you know, I like to mix it all together, that’s something else I’m really passionate about, classical and flamenco guitar. As for the tour, we’re just getting ready to do our first headlining tour of the U.S. and uh you know, I’m excited man, it’s starting to work out now that when I’m not out on tour with Soulfly or Cavalera Conspiracy then I go right out with my solo band. It’s great, it’s a dream come true.

Do you stick strictly to your own stuff or do you mix it up?
Marc: We mix it up. We do all the stuff of my solo records and then you know, I throw some Soulfy in, some Sepultura so it’s definitely a cool mixture of stuff.

How do you personally feel about playing solo? Do you prefer it over playing with a band?
Marc: Um, I like both you know. I got my band, I got my bass player and my drummer in the band who I like playing with and I like both, I love all three projects the same. I’m really passionate about all three, it’s a great time.  [ END ]