Cavalera Conspiracy brought the Chaos A.D. tour to the Marquee Theatre on October 11, 2025. Unlike previous stops on the tour, the lineup included six additional bands, all of which hailed from Arizona.
Phoenix-based metalcore outfit Ocean Harvest came out loud and heavy, making the most of their limited time. Next up was the blackened death metal of Southern Arizona’s Six Million Dead.
Area locals Vindicated and The Agoreez delivered solid heavy metal sets, while Gnumb represented the Valley hardcore scene. Mourning Star’s “melodic heavy-ness” was on display as their dual-guitar attack rounded out the first wave of acts.
Hailing from Washington D.C., Genocide Pact took the stage next. Fueled by Tim Mullaney’s death snarl vocals and detuned guitar, the trio unleashed a brutal set of death metal. Combined with Connor Donnegan’s blast-beat drumming and Michael Nolan’s aggressive bass, it was by far the heaviest set of the evening. The 30-minute set included “Submission Reigns” and “Perverse Dominion.”
Just as the band was preparing to indulge requests for one more song, their time was up. Genocide Pact began to clear the stage as Fear Factory’s road crew got to work setting up.
Twenty minutes later, the industrial metal veterans took the stage and performed a set list that drew heavily from Demanufacture, the band’s second studio album. Lead singer Milo Silvestro delivered powerful vocals while lead guitarist Dino Cazares provided the heavy riffs. The rhythm section of Ricky Bonazza and drummer Pete Webber pummeled the crowd with jackhammer beats and bass lines you felt in your teeth.
The 60-minute set included hits “Replica,” “Martyr,” and “Edgecrusher.” Fear Factory concluded with the anthemic fan favorite “Linchpin.” Fans sang along enthusiastically as Silvestro made his way along the barrier giving high fives and fist bumps. The band threw out guitar picks and handed out set lists before disappearing backstage.
A human-shaped bodybag hung upside down, swaying gently. A pair of screens came to life as the house lights dimmed. As footage of a young Max Cavalera and his Sepultura bandmates flickered on the screen, present-day Max Cavalera prepared to take the stage.
Iggor Cavalera crossed the stage to his drum kit as the footage gave way to a red, jagged “Cavalera” logo on both screens.
Frontman Max Cavalera emerged, wearing a black long-sleeved “Destroy Fascism” t-shirt and wielding a metallic red ESP guitar. Bassist Igor Amadeus Cavalera, Max’s son, and guitarist Travis Stone stood at the ready.
“Fuck it up!” shouted Max as the stage became a blur of motion and whipping hair. Droning guitars and thundering percussion erupted as the frontman chanted, “CHA-OS A-D!”
“Tanks on the streets!” “Confronting police!” “Bleeding the plebs!”
Thirty-two years later, Sepultura’s fifth studio album is more relevant than ever. Evoking images of civil unrest, the opening track “Refuse/Resist” draws several parallels to current events, particularly in the United States.
The Cavaleras played through their iconic album, taking the crowd on a journey through a dystopian world not dissimilar to our own—a world inhabited by the “cut-throat corporations” of “Biotech Is Godzilla,” written by Dead Kennedys frontman Jello Biafra, and the post-truth media of “Propaganda” that should not be trusted.
Towards the end of the set, the band took a break from the setlist to pay tribute to the legendary Ozzy Osbourne with a cover of Black Sabbath’s “Symptom of the Universe.”
“Raise your horns for Ozzy! Ozzy forever! Black Sabbath forever!” said Cavalera.
With only one song from the album left unplayed, Max Cavalera addressed the capacity crowd.
“War for?” shouted Cavalera.
“TERRITORY!” roared the crowd as the opening notes of “Territory” filled the venue.
The band exited the stage briefly, having played through the entirety of Chaos A.D. They returned moments later to unleash a one-song encore—an updated version of “Refuse/Resist.”
“Everybody move your ass! I wanna see some fucking chaos!” commanded Cavalera.
The sold-out crowd obliged, as bodies collided and crowd surfers scrambled toward the stage across a sea of heads and hands.
“Fuck yeah Phoenix, thank you so much!” said Cavalera, concluding seven hours of heavy metal mayhem.
