Soulfly is an American heavy metal band from Phoenix, Arizona. Formed by vocalist and rhythm guitarist Max Cavalera following his departure from Sepultura in 1997, the group originally included lead guitarist Jackson Bandeira, bassist Marcelo "Cello" Dias and drummer Roy "Rata" Mayorga.[1] Bandeira left after the recording of the band's self-titled debut album, with former Machine Head guitarist Logan Mader taking his place in April 1998 for the album's touring cycle.[2] Mader had left by the following January,[3] with Mikey Doling joining in his place.[4] Mayorga departed the group in July 1999,[5] with Joe Nunez announced as his replacement in November.[6] Nunez performed on the 2000 album Primitive, but left the following October due to concerns with his "financial arrangement with the group". Mayorga returned in his place.[7]
In September 2003, Dias was fired from Soulfly by Cavalera and his wife Gloria (the band's manager), which prompted Doling and Mayorga to leave.[8] The departed members were quickly replaced by returning drummer Nunez, Primer 55 guitarist Bobby Burns on bass, and former Ill Niño guitarist Marc Rizzo.[9] The group's lineup subsequently remained stable for a number of years, before Burns left in July 2010, shortly after the release of Omen.[10] Fireball Ministry's Johny Chow filled in for a string of tour dates,[11] before Tony Campos (formerly of Static-X) joined as Burns' full-time replacement in 2011.[12] Shortly after Campos' addition, Nunez left Soulfly and was replaced temporarily by Cavalera's son Zyon.[13] Borknagar's David Kinkade subsequently joined in September, performing on the group's eighth studio album Enslaved.[14]
Kinkade played his final show with Soulfly on October 23, 2012, when he decided to retire from music.[15] Zyon Cavalera subsequently returned to the band in Kinkade's place.[16] In May 2015, Campos left Soulfly to join Fear Factory,[17] with Havok's Mike Leon taking over a few months later.[18] In August 2021, it was announced lead guitarist Marc Rizzo had left the band,[19] and that his replacement on the 2021 North American tour would be Dino Cazares of Fear Factory,[20] Cazares continued to tour with the band into 2022.[21] On January 5, 2023, the band announced Mike DeLeon of Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals as the band's new touring guitarist.[22] It was later revealed that other guitarists were also planned to cover many of the tour dates for 2023.[23]
| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Max Cavalera | 1997–present | all Soulfly releases | |||
| Zyon Cavalera | |||||
| Mike Leon | 2015–present |
| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marcelo "Cello" Dias | 1997–2003 | ||||
| Roy "Mata" Mayorga | |||||
| Jackson Bandeira | 1997–1998 | ||||
| Logan Mader | 1998–1999 | Tribe (1999) | |||
| Mikey Doling | 1999–2003 | ||||
| Joe Nunez | Primitive (2000) and all Soulfly releases from Prophecy (2004) to Omen (2010) | ||||
| Marc Rizzo | 2003–2021[24] | all Soulfly releases from Prophecy (2004) to Ritual (2018) | |||
| Bobby Burns | 2003–2010 | all Soulfly releases from Prophecy (2004) to Omen (2010) | |||
| Tony Campos | 2011–2015 | ||||
| David Kinkade | 2011–2012 | Enslaved (2012) |
| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jason Roeder | 1999 | drums | Roeder performed drums after the departure of Roy Mayorga on the Bring da Shit to North America tour. | ||
| Dave Chavarri | Chavarri performed drums after the departure of Roy Mayorga and before Joe Nunez joined the band.[25] | ||||
| David Ellefson | bass | Ellefson substituted for Bobby Burns in Soulfly several times, as well as performing on Prophecy.[26] [27] [28] | |||
| Dan Lilker | 2006 | Lilker filled in for Bobby Burns in late 2006, when the regular bassist was recovering from a stroke. | |||
| Johny Chow | 2010–2011 | Chow performed with Soulfly after the departure of Bobby Burns in 2010 until Tony Campos joined in 2011. | |||
| Kanky Lora | drums | Lora has substituted for Zyon Cavalera on several tours between 2013 and 2016.[29] [30] | |||
| Igor Cavalera, Jr. | Following the departure of Tony Campos, Cavalera played bass on a UK tour in 2015.[31] He later contributed keyboards and co-lead vocals during a North American tour in 2017 and 2018 on which the band performed Nailbomb's Point Blank in full. | ||||
| Dino Cazares | 2021–2022 | Cazares joined the band in August 2021 after the rumored departure of Marc Rizzo. Cazares had previously made guest live appearances during the Soulfly touring cycle. | |||
| Mike DeLeon | 2023–present | lead guitar | DeLeon took over from Cazares as touring guitarist. |
| Period | Members | Releases | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 – April 1998 |
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| April 1998 – January 1999 |
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| January – July 1999 |
| none | |
| July – November 1999 |
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| November 1999 – October 2001 |
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| October 2001 – September 2003 |
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| September 2003 – July 2010 |
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| July 2010 – June 2011 |
| none | |
| June – July 2011 |
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| July – September 2011 |
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| September 2011 – October 2012 |
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| November 2012 – May 2015 |
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| May – September 2015 |
| none | |
| September 2015 – August 2021 |
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| August 2021 – January 2023 |
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| January 2023 – present |
| none |