Metal Anarchy

As previously reported, Soulfly frontman Max Cavalera recently revealed that Marc Rizzo was fired from the band “due to personal reasons.” Now, during an interview with Rock Talks, the guitarist officially opened up about his departure from the group, saying that he “really got no support from Soulfly” amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Rizzo said the following:

“…In this very difficult year I really got no support from Soulfly, you know? There was no sort of loans that were taken out for the bandmembers or the crew, this is just the honest, honest thing of what happened. I had to go back and get a day job, I was doing home renovations working very hard 10 hours a day.

A live record came out in New York City [‘Live Ritual NYC MMXIX‘], I never saw a dime off that. So basically within the six months- seven months of COVID, I just said you know man I don’t want this anymore. I gave you guys 18 years of my life. And it was a great time.

Back in the good years it was great. But the last I’d say eight to 10 years have not been very good: away for my family, scheduling is crazy and it was impossible to have a personal life, see my family make plans with my family.

So basically like six months into COVID it was just like, I don’t even want to do this anymore man. I’d rather just concentrate on my solo project, and spend time with my family where I’m happy, where I get credit for everything I do. You know I put 18 years in that’s a long, long time to be in the band.

When COVID hit it was like, I felt like I didn’t, you know, what have I been doing these last 18 years? Normally you work a day job, you get support during a pandemic like COVID, you know? I was working very hard I was doing plumbing, electric; and finally my very good friend Nick Bell at Godsize Booking was like, ‘listen dude, I could get you back on the road to the states in America that are open.’

So he got me to Montana, Texas, Florida, doing my solo project, and I was able to quit my job and get back on track playing music for a living, and making money. And big props to to Nic Bell, because he was one of the few people that supported me during the pandemic and helped me to get back on the road, you know, I, again, I got no support whatsoever from anyone else. So it’s a good thing, you know, again, I’m very excited about the year.”

He continued when asked if the financial side of things was the main issue that led to him leaving the band:

“…For this year. Yes, there was years that were good financially, but this year, you know, again, there was no loans, there was no ‘hey let’s do a live video to make money for the band members’ or maybe let’s do a merch… a special merch deal—a lot of my friends are doing special merchandise deals. I mean if you look on online Soulfly didn’t do anything for the band members or the crew.

So, you know, it’s just not right to do that to people during a time like… So, whatever man, you know, they they have the right to run their business however they wanna and I have the right to do what I want.

So, again, I’m very excited to do my solo project—that’s what got me through COVID, back to being on the road and doing what I love to do as a living. And, and then this spawned you know Tony [Campos] and me finally getting together to do, to do a project that we’ve always talked about. So we’re excited. We’re Hail The Horns, we’re very very excited to get that going.

I got my death metal project Revenge Beast, and these were guys that called me, you know, we’re like, ‘Hey, what’s up man? How are you? How you doing?’ You know I never really got even got a phone call from anybody in the Soulfly camp during COVID you know? So definitely, it just opened up my eyes this year, about what I should be doing in 2021.

So, I’m super excited, you know, this is this is all a positive, very good thing for me and for the fans. When I do my solo project, I have more time to hang out with the fans. I don’t do no paid meet and greets, stuff like that. I like to just sit down, go to the bar, hang out with everybody, talk music and have a good time. And I have more time with my solo project and with Hail The Horns to be able to hang out with everybody. So yeah, cheers to the good year.”

Rizzo also added the following when asked if he talked to Cavalera during the pandemic:

“I haven’t talked to Max since 2020, when we played the ‘Heaven And Hell‘ festival in Mexico. I had no contact with him. I don’t think he has a phone so it’s not like I can call him.”

[via The PRP]