Igor Pablo Cavalera
Igor Graziano Cavalera (born 4 September 1970) is a Brazilian musician, best known as the former drummer for the heavy metal band Sepultura, which he co-founded with his brother Max in 1984. Max left the band in 1996, and Igor himself would depart nearly ten years later, making him the last original member of Sepultura to leave the band. The brothers have since reunited in the band Cavalera Conspiracy.
Also recorded as Igor Graziano Cavalera · Iggor Cavalera
Igor Pablo Cavalera

© Markus Felix | PushingPixels (contact me) · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Name
- Igor Cavalera
- Birth Name
- Igor Graziano Cavalera
- Born
- 4 September 1970
- Birthplace
- Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
- Occupation
- Musician
- Nationality
- Brazil.
- Fields
- heavy metal music, groove metal, death metal, alternative metal, hip-hop and electronic music.
- Languages
- Portuguese.
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
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Documentary summary
Igor Graziano Cavalera (born 4 September 1970) is a Brazilian musician, best known as the former drummer for the heavy metal band Sepultura, which he co-founded with his brother Max in 1984. Max left the band in 1996, and Igor himself would depart nearly ten years later, making him the last original member of Sepultura to leave the band. The brothers have since reunited in the band Cavalera Conspiracy.
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Note VALÉORINE
Igor Pablo Cavalera (born 1970) is a drummer and musician, of Brazilian nationality. The drummer was born in Belo Horizonte. Igor Pablo Cavalera is a member of Cavalera Conspiracy and Sepultura.
The work spans alternative metal, death metal and electronic music, among others. Languages used include Portuguese.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 26 September 2026
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Authority files
wikidata · Q201459
In this article
Biography
Biography
Cavalera worked across drummer and musician. The registers place that work in heavy metal music, groove metal, death metal, alternative metal, hip-hop and electronic music. This article rests on 100 catalogued compositions, 9 issued recordings and 1 scholarly references drawn from named institutional registers. Every statement below returns to a source shown in the evidence panel; where the record is silent or divided, the article says so instead of resolving it.

Iggor Cavalera performing live with Lenine in São Paulo, 2006no Auditório Ibirapuera, em São Paulo.
Gerardo Lazzari · Flickr

Iggor Cavalera with Cavalera Conspiracy at Tons of Rock, Oslo, 2026
Birgit Fostervold
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Igor Cavalera • Landscape — yes • Birth Name — Igor Graziano Cavalera • Alias — * Igor Skullcrusher • Iggor Cavalera • El Covero • Born — 4 September 1970 • Birthplace — Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil • Genre — * Groove metal • thrash metal • death metal • alternative metal • hip-hop • electronic • experimental • Occupation — Musician • Instrument — Drums • Years Active — 1984–present • Current Member Of — * Cavalera Conspiracy • Soulwax • Past Member Of — Sepultura
Biography
Biography
Cavalera started playing drums at around seven years old. He was into samba music as a child but, after seeing Queen live in 1981 along with his older brother Max, he started listening to rock music. When Sepultura was formed, Cavalera was the youngest member at the age of 13, his brother Max was 14 at the time. Sepultura was a big success and gave Cavalera an early start. On 21 April 1984, Cavalera played, for the first time, on a real drum kit, which was borrowed from Helinho of the band Overdose, that also played that night. After the band split with his brother Max (lead vocals/rhythm guitar) in December 1996, their relationship underwent a crisis. In recent times their relationship has improved. Cavalera joined Max's current band Soulfly on stage at the 2006 tenth annual D-Low Memorial Show, to play the Sepultura songs "Roots Bloody Roots" and "Attitude". It was the first time the brothers had played together in ten years. Cavalera is credited as having made a guest appearance on Biohazard's 2001 release Uncivilization on the track "Gone". He also served as a live musician for parodic heavy metal band Massacration under the pseudonym "El Covero" throughout 2004. In 2006, with the release of Dante XXI, he began spelling his name "Iggor", preferring the way it looks. On 13 January 2006, it was announced that he was taking a break from the band due to the birth of his fourth child, initially leaving Sepultura temporarily. He later announced that he was quitting Sepultura due to "artistic incompatibility". Sepultura replaced him with Jean Dolabella. Cavalera was scheduled to collaborate with underground hip-hop artist Necro on a project described by Necro as in the style of "old-school '80s thrash/death metal". However, Necro mentioned later that the project will not go ahead. In 2008 Cavalera released the album Inflikted together with his brother Max in a project named Cavalera Conspiracy. In 2012, Cavalera performed drums for the entire Strife album Witness a Rebirth, released via 6131 Records. In 2017, he played drums for Soulwax on their album From Deewee and in their live tour, along with two other live drummers. In 2018, he formed the noise music duo Pet Brick with Wayne Adams of Big Lad and Death Pedals.
Playing style
Playing style
• Illustration — Cavalera in São Paulo, 2006 Cavalera cites Roger Taylor, Bill Ward, Dave Lombardo, Stewart Copeland and Mike Bordin among his major influences. In the early Sepultura albums his drumming was loud and fast, following the thrash metal style of the 1980s. He mastered this style by 1987–1991 (with Schizophrenia, Beneath the Remains and Arise). His innovative style in the album Chaos A.D. brought tribal elements into the songs. One example of his contribution is the introduction of the song "Territory" (1993, Chaos A.D.). He further developed this style in the 1996 Roots album, adding more tribal elements to Sepultura's music. Throughout his career, Cavalera has been widely recognized as a hard-hitting drummer (acknowledged by producer Scott Burns during the recording of Beneath the Remains). In later years, Cavalera adopted a drum set configuration with upright toms and fewer cymbals, as seen in Live in São Paulo. In reference to his work on the Sepultura album Nation, AllMusic wrote "Drummer Igor Cavalera's timing and tempo couldn't be more perfect as the adrenaline heightens until the album's intensity burns right through the speakers."
Personal life
Personal life
Cavalera has four children, born in 1996, 2000, 2002 and 2006. He has lived in London since 2013. Cavalera collects toys and football shirts and has many hobbies, including Brazilian jiu-jitsu, kickboxing, snowboarding, surfing, drawing and supporting Brazilian football club Palmeiras. He admires his father Graziano Cavalera as his role model. In 1996, he started the fashion label "Cavalera". His fashion label has faced controversy of its use of the Albanian flag as its logo. In 2020, a petition called for "Cavalera" to change it. On July 5, 2023, Cavalera’s brother Max announced that their mother Vania had died.
Sepultura
Sepultura
• Bestial Devastation (1985) • Morbid Visions (1986) • Schizophrenia (1987) • Beneath the Remains (1989) • Arise (1991) • Chaos A.D. (1993) • Roots (1996) • Against (1998) • Nation (2001) • Roorback (2003) • Dante XXI (2006)
Cavalera Conspiracy
Cavalera Conspiracy
• Inflikted (2008) • Blunt Force Trauma (2011) • Pandemonium (2014) • Psychosis (2017) • Bestial Devastation (Re-Recorded) EP (2023) • Morbid Visions (Re-Recorded) (2023) • Schizophrenia (Re-Recorded) (2024)
Absent in Body
Absent in Body
• Plague God (2022)
Petbrick
Petbrick
• I (2019) • I Remixes (2020) • Deafbrick (collaborative album with Deafkids, 2020) • Liminal (2022)
Soulwax
Soulwax
• From Deewee (2017)
Self
Self
Iggor Cavalera / Shane Embury - Neon gods / Own your darkness split EP Cold Spring Records
Guest appearances
Guest appearances
• Titãs – Domingo on "Brasileiro" (1995) • Pavilhão 9 – Cadeia Nacional on "Mandando Bronca" (1997) • Soulwax – Belgica soundtrack – drums with Burning Phlegm (2016) • Ladytron – Ladytron (2019) • Pig Destroyer – The Octagonal Stairway (2020) • Crizin da Z.O. – "O Fim Um" (2024) • Merzbow, Bernocchi, Cavalera – Nocturnal Rainforest (2025)
Identity
Identity
Igor Pablo Cavalera is classed in the genre heavy metal music. Recorded with the occupation musician. Recorded as a citizen of Brazil. Established in Discogs under 254253.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
1970
Igor Pablo Cavalera was born on 4 September 1970.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Lannert, John. Artists & Music. Página 12. Cash Box Publications. 30. 22 February 1997.
- 2.DiVita, DiVita. Why Did Max Cavalera Leave Sepultura in the '90s?. Loudwire. 2023-08-23.
- 3.soulwax.info. kevinenjoyce.com.
- 4.Soulwax Announce New Album FROM DEEWEE - Pitchfork. pitchfork.com. 9 February 2017.
- 5.Pertout, Andrián. Sepultura: Igor Cavalera. pertout.com.
- 6.Larissa Catharine Oliveira. Quando Iggor Cavalera foi baterista do Massacration: 'Temos ódio dos metaleiros idiotas'. Wikimetal. June 24, 2021.
- 7.Roadrunnerrecords.com. Ex-SEPULTURA Drummer IGOR Joins Forces With 'Death Rapper' NECRO in New Project.
- 8.bloomriot.org. Igo Cavalera interview.
- 9.Smith, Kerry L. Nation – Sepultura. AllMusic. 20 March 2001.
- 10.cavalera.com.br. Cavalera Inverno 2011.
- 11.Max and Igor Cavalera mourn their 80 Year old Mother. Loudwire. 6 July 2023.
- 12."Ladytron" Album Title, Front Cover, Track Listing & Release Date. pledgemusic.com.
- 13.Pig Destroyer Bandcamp.
- 14.QTV065 – ACELERO
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
institutional register
Wikidata, structured authority record Q201459: Igor Pablo CavaleraWikimedia Foundation
Unverified
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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