Cavalera Conspiracy’s Igor Cavalera Credits ‘Out of the Ordinary’ Bill Ward for His Early Drumming Inspiration
Most of today's top players had musicians that inspired them to pick up their chosen instrument, and while Cavalera Conspiracy's Igor Cavalera says that he was already into rock music when he came across Black Sabbath, Bill Ward's playing was one of the things that inspired him to pursue the drums.
Speaking with Revolver (as seen below), Igor recalls, “It’s a funny story because my father had a bunch of records, and later, Max and I were going through his collection and we found the first Black Sabbath record in the middle of it. That was after we were already into rock music – not so much metal, but more like rock. And then, of course, Black Sabbath became one of those bands that are still my favorite, I still listen to those first records."
"Bill Ward, he’s one of those guys that inspired me, in the beginning, to play the drums," says Cavalera, explaining, "The way that he was always pushing the limits with different percussions. He was out of the ordinary, he was the one.”
When asked about what made Ward's playing so special to him, the drummer responded, "I think the most unique thing is that, in a time when a lot of drummers would just follow the guitars and be normal, he was trying different things, he was going off. And, at times, it seems like the whole band was actually trying to catch up with him. For me, that was a huge lesson, because he put the drum in the front instead of just being the typical drummer who will only follow a riff, only follow the bass line. He was actually throwing a few curveballs back there and I think that, for me, that was the reason that made me look into him as a different drummer."
Cavalera Conspiracy frontman Max Cavalera then shared a memory of his brother getting to meet and hang with Ward. "One of my coolest memories of Igor was actually playing with Black Sabbath. I think it was somewhere in Europe and Bill actually let Igor sit behind him," recalled the vocalist. "After the show, he gave him his bandana. And I remember Igor was freaking out, of course, you would, that's his idol giving him a personal thing that he wore, a bandana, that's like, 'Alright, I can die now.'"
"What a great idol he picked, because he's such a good guy, you know, he's a good-hearted guy," says Cavalera. "There's nothing worse than worshiping somebody and finding out that the guy you'd been worshiping is a total asshole. [laughs] He's just an awesome, really nice guy. And one time he met my kids, met Zyon and Igor, and he was telling them about drummers that they should listen to, some guys from the '50s. And I was like, 'Oh, shit, this is crazy!' But yeah, that's a great pick."
Max and Igor Cavalera will carry on the inspiration they found in Ward this summer when Cavalera Conspiracy hit the road. See all their scheduled tour dates here.