SEPULTURA's GREEN Explains ROADRUNNER Departure

Australia's Beat magazine spoke with Derrick Green of SEPULTURA about their new album, "Roorback", the group's first since leaving Roadrunner Records to move to SPV/Steamhammer. "The contract with Roadrunner was pretty much up," Green said. "We had an option to do one more album, and we decided that we didn't want to stay there any longer. It was a relationship that was way too long, and it was time for us to really move on. When Max [Cavalera] split from SEPULTURA and Roadrunner signed his new band SOULFLY, we found it was not only hard working with Roadrunner, but we also saw it as conflict of interest. There was a lot of tension, and we weren't really happy with the way [2001's] 'Nation' was promoted. [All the promotion] stopped a couple of months after it came out."

Green, who joined the band in 1998, has been widely criticized for lacking the charisma and vocal power of his predecessor, with many fans feeling that the band took a huge step down following the release of 1996's "Roots" (which is hailed as one of the group's finest moments).

Derrick says that the criticism has had little effect on him thus far. “I'm pretty happy in what I do, but I'm always up for improvement," Green admitted. "I always want to get better at what I do. There are people out there that have accepted me in SEPULTURA, and there are those that haven't. That's doesn't really affect me that much. The attitude I had getting into music was the same as when I was first got into heavy music, and nobody liked me then! (laughs) It was sort of like an outcast scene. It wasn't as popular then, not like it is now. For me, it wasn't about being liked. It was about being able to do and what I wanted to do. SEPULTURA is about doing what we want to do. We'll always write music that we want to write, and not what everybody wants to hear. If people like it, that's a complete plus and a joy. That's the amazement of being able to communicate, and have people understand what you're talking about. It's unbelievable to have that connection. For me, I just have a total punk attitude. I don't care if you like it or not. I'm still going to do what I do. If you don't like it, that's fine with me." Read more.