SOULFLY – Chama: Tribal Technology, Fighting Music, and the Cavalera Flame Burning Hot

By Music Coast Label: Nuclear Blast Album: Chama (Soulfly’s 13th)

There’s a specific kind of heat that only Soulfly can generate: the kind that doesn’t just push tempo or heaviness, but turns rhythm into a ritual. On Chama, Max Cavalera frames that heat as both flame and calling—a title that’s equal parts ignition and invitation. The record lands with the force of something classic in spirit, but sharpened for right now.

Quick Snapshot

Recorded at
Platinum Underground Studio (Mesa, Arizona)
Engineer
John Aquilino
Produced by
Zyon Cavalera + Arthur Rizk (Rizk also handled mixing/mastering)
Lineup on Chama
Max Cavalera (vocals/guitar), Igor Amadeus Cavalera (bass), Zyon Cavalera (drums), Mike De Leon (guitar)
Guest
Dino Cazares (Fear Factory) appears on one track

“Flame” and “Calling” — Where Chama Clicks

In an email to Music Coast, Max described the spark behind the title in a way that feels very 2025 Soulfly: part family, part culture, part combat-ready momentum.

He told us watching UFC with Zyon helped inspire the record’s pulse, calling Chama “fighting music,” and framing it as a moment where the band’s original flame is burning “brighter than ever.” That mindset shows up in the push-and-pull that Soulfly does better than almost anyone: groove that drags you in, then a sudden surge that throws you forward.

Cavalera’s also spoken publicly about the double-meaning of Chama (flame + calling), including shouting out Alex Pereira using “Itsari” during UFC walkouts.

The “Toughest Call” Was the Sound of the Future… Without Losing the Roots

One of our questions was basically: How do you keep Soulfly spiritual and raw, but still make it hit with modern weight?

Max’s answer to Music Coast credited Zyon’s behind-the-board role as a genuine leap forward. He said Zyon “launched Soulfly into the future” while keeping their feet planted in the band’s foundation—then dropped a phrase that honestly deserves to live on a shirt:

“Tribal Technology.”

Mixing the tribal grooves with modern technological noise—intense, forward, and still rooted.

That’s the lane Chama is aiming for: not a nostalgia play, not a trend-chase. More like an evolution that keeps the ceremony intact.

A Quick Note on the 2025 Run

Soulfly did hit the road around the album cycle this year (including the Favela Dystopia run with Go Ahead And Die), but that tour has already wrapped—so we’re keeping the focus here where it belongs: on the record itself.

Tracklist: Chama

(If you’re building the article page: “Storm the Gates” was used as a lead single in the album rollout.)

  1. Indigenous Inquisition
  2. Storm the Gates
  3. Nihilist
  4. No Pain = No Power
  5. Ghenna
  6. Black Hole Scum
  7. Favela / Dystopia
  8. Always Was, Always Will Be...
  9. Soulfly XIII
  10. Chama

Lineup Chemistry: Why This Unit Matters

We asked what Igor, Zyon, Mike, and guest Dino brought to Chama that couldn’t have happened any other way. Max kept it simple, but telling: he said his favorite riff on the record is the title track, “Chama.”

It’s a small note, but it fits the bigger picture—this album is built like a torch relay: the Cavalera family energy driving the core, with added firepower where it counts.

Formats for Collectors

If you’re covering the buy options, Chama has been available across CD and multiple vinyl variants, including a Yellow/Orange Corona and a Transparent Red w/ White Splatter pressing, among others.