BIO

Cavalera started playing drums 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.^[3] 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 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.^[4]

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”.^[5] 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