Nostalgia was more than enough to guide metalheads to a celebration of Sepultura’s 1993 Chaos A.D. at Camden’s Electric Ballroom, but current international turmoil probably helped take the 11th of June 2026 sold-out evening to the next level. The Cavalera brothers didn’t have to promise, but they certainly delivered one of the most memorable performances of one of the strongest political albums ever.
Slay Squad
While we still hear the echoes of ‘war for territory’ chants, we revisit an evening that started with Slay Squad. Filled with raw energy, the Californian ghetto metal group did notice how tough a crowd London can be. It does take time to earn the trust of loyal fans who are looking forward to a revival of their long-loved songs. But the audience did make an effort to engage as the venue began to fill for the main act.
Cavalera
Without a minute to spare, Cavalera rose to the stage backed by the most famous baby’s heartbeat sound in the history of metal. It was time to scream ‘Refuse/Resist’ at the top of our lungs, while mosh pits and crowd surfing were already all over the place. It had begun, and we were all more than ready for it.
‘Slave New World’ carried us all free from all of our chained daily lives, while ‘Amen’ felt like an evening prayer of the blackest sabbath. If, in the early 1990s, the media were the target of ‘Propaganda’ warnings, big tech companies now seem to have been added to the list of threats to truth.
The crowd remained as intense as the sauna-like vibe forming all around the Electric Ballroom. ‘Kaiowas’ brought a few minutes of respite through a Brazilian roots celebration – as always, compatriots proudly waved a flag in honour of Max and Iggor’s birthplace.
Brazil was also remembered in the piercing verses and riffs of ‘Biotech is Godzilla’, serving more than a simple mental note that, since the Rio Summit 92, little to nothing has been done to address climate change and social injustice. But we all stood tall through the night, showing our shared anger towards misplaced power and authority.
As the night was moving towards an inevitable end, ‘Troops of Doom’ delivered an invigorating surprise for those who had kept their eyes fixated on setlist.fm for a while. Then, of course, Iggor’s impeccable drum intro moved us through the much-awaited ‘Territory’ – whose muddy music video still plays vividly in the minds of devoted fans, I dare say.
A night with Cavalera’s rendition of Sepultura’s Chaos A.D. makes us wonder how a creation from over 30 years ago remains more current than ever. When artists know a craft that can speak to the world, it unleashes our anger – at least for a night.
Cavalera Conspiracy
Set 1
- Refuse/Resist
- Slave New World
- Amen
- Propaganda
- Nomad
- Manifest
- The Hunt
- Kaiowas
- We Who Are Not as Others
- Clenched Fist
- Biotech Is Godzilla
- Troops of Doom
Encore
- Territory
- Symptom of the Universe
- Chaos B.C.