Jake Rosenberg of Transcending the Mundane recently conducted an interview with SEPULTURA guitarist Andreas Kisser. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:

Transcending the Mundane: A lot of reviewers and fans have been dubbing "Dante XXI" as "the best thing since 'Roots'", "SEPULTURA's comeback album," etc. Does that make you feel that albums like "Against", "Nation" and "Roorback" aren't getting the respect they deserve?

Kisser: "Not at all. I mean it's the same people are raving the last album is the best work for a long time, but I don't deny 'Against', 'Nation' and 'Roorback', the album that drove us to make 'Dante'. It's the same as saying that 'Schizophrenia' and 'Beneath the Remains' were crap and only 'Chaos AD' and 'Roots' were good. One album builds from another and without 'Schizophrenia' and 'Beneath the Remains', 'Roots' would never be possible. It is the same way that without 'Against' and 'Nation', 'Dante' wouldn't be possible. It takes time to really build something really true. You cannot really exchange singers. It is not like exchanging a valve from an amp. It is like very organic. New characters and new influences and Derrick [Green] brought a lot of new stuff for SEPULTURA. I think it's cool. It takes time for us to really rebuild everything. When we lost Max [Cavalera], we lost a singer, we lost a manager, we lost trust from a label. So we have to rebuild it. It takes time. Finally, we have everything flowing."

Transcending the Mundane: Are you touring the U.S. anytime soon?

Kisser: "Yes. We have a plan to come to the U.S. in August. We are planning a tour with HATEBREED and some other bands. Like a four- or five-band package and put a name on it something like we did with 'New Kids on Block' in 1992/1991 with SEPULTURA, SACRED REICH, NAPALM DEATH and SICK OF IT ALL. I think it will be a great package, so probably in August/September we will be in America."

Transcending the Mundane: How was your [European] tour with IN FLAMES?

Kisser: "The tour with IN FLAMES was amazing. Especially because we [had] Roy [Mayorga] on drums. Igor [Cavalera] stayed in Brazil with his personal problems and stuff. It was just a great start for this album. The album came out in March and we were in Europe, sold-out tour, a lot of young kids that have never seen SEPULTURA, and Roy did an amazing job. Played better than ever. It was really fun. That's what it's all about."

Transcending the Mundane: Were there a lot of SEPULTURA fans there, or was it more fans of the Gothenburg scene?

Kisser: "No, there were a lot of SEPULTURA fans. Even [if some] people there were not SEPULTURA fans, I think came out to be a SEPULTURA fan because their reaction was just amazing. You can see a SEPULTURA fan with a shirt or singing the lyrics and stuff. It is like 21 years of career so somehow some SEPULTURA song became a part of somebody's life. It is cool to play all the history of SEPULTURA."

Transcending the Mundane: How was touring without Igor?

Kisser: "It was different, definitely. I mean, Igor chose to be in Brazil and we made the decision together. We cannot force somebody to be on stage if you are not feeling to be on stage. Like I said, Roy did a great job and played better than ever. He re-inspired everybody on tour and it was really a great tour. One of the best we ever did."

Read the entire interview at this location.