Max Cavalera's quest to add fresh vibes to his love of metal continues throughout DARK AGES. Though Cavalera stretches the boundaries and adds many world flavors, the results are always subtle, giving each song a sound that is distinctly SOULFLY. The cultural spice is accentuated by his decision to travel the world to capture the sounds within their own natural environments. While in Russia, the frantic "Molotov" begins with Russian lyrics and continues with a guest appearance from S.O.D.'s Billy Milano. Cavalera called Milano and said, "Do you mind singing over the phone and I just record it? ... Even the distortion coming from his voice is actually from the phone."

A gifted maverick at charting new explorations, Cavalera also gives a nod toward some musical influences he enjoys in the industrial realm occupied by bands like Prodigy and his side project NAILBOMB. With the explosive "Riotstarter" he brings all the cultural elements together with Brazilian, Middle-Eastern, and industrial rhythms making one intoxicating brew. Soulfly provokes.It's metal for the daring.The album assaults as much as it does redeem. DARK AGES is fierce and unrelenting, heavy and foreboding. Yet within the darkest depths, beauty exists.

Anticipating the band's fall U.S. tour, SOULFLY will be premiering music from DARK AGES on Aug. 12, when Max keeps his yearly pledge to the memory of his murdered stepson, Dana "D-Low" Wells. to host a concert each year until justice is served. The 9th Annual D-Low Memorial Show will be held at the Marquee Theater in Tempe, AZ, the band's hometown. Dave Ellefson, who appears on four DARK AGES tracks, will play bass with SOULFLY at this year's event.

In the years since Dana's death at 21 in a 1996 car wreck, his case has met the attention of numerous bands and fans alike. The Deftones even wrote and recorded a song about the tragic loss of their friend ("Around the Fur-Head Up"). More recently, the Cavalera family has reached out for assistance from the organization called Parents of Murdered Children. Musicians who've shared the stage with Soulfly at previous "D-Low"? shows include the Deftones, Benji from Skindred, and Hed(pe). A second stage at an Ozzfest concert once served as a "D-Low" show and was captured for SOULFLY'S "Seek-N-Strike" video featuring the Phoenix crowd. And portions of the band's The Song Remains Insane DVD were recorded at last year's event.

SOULFLY has been taking Europe by storm this summer, playing stadium shows with Black Sabbath (Ozzy included) in Munich, Prague and beyond. Headlining the MTV stage at the Fields of Rock Festival in Holland, the band caused the crowd to erupt when they brought out Chino Moreno from the Deftones/Team Sleep to share the stage with Max for the song "Pain." SOULFLY also supported The Prodigy at the Nova Rock Festival in Austria in front of over 27,000 fans.