Why Deftones' Chino Moreno Once Helped Max Cavalera Bury Soulfly's Debut LP on Native American Land

Ever since Soulfly released their self-titled debut LP in 1998, fans have wondered why the liner notes include an image of Deftones’ frontman Chino Moreno holding a pickaxe. Well, in a new chat with Alternative Nation, Soulfly’s founding frontman – Max Cavalera – ended the speculation by revealing that the he and Moreno buried Soulfly on Native American land for a resonant reason.

Why Moreno + Cavalera Buried Soulfly on Native American Land

During the interview, Cavalera discussed several topics, such as leaving Sepultura and creating Soulfly’s latest LP: Chama.

Eventually, he explained why he and Moreno buried the master tapes for Soulfly, beginning (via Alternative Nation): “We buried them in Indigo Ranch [Studios, in Malibu, California].”

From there, Cavalera continues:

We knew there was a burial ground there, like, Indian burial ground from 300 years ago. So I wanted to capture the essence of the land, of the indigenous power. So, me and Chino from the Deftones, we dug big holes, put the tapes there. We closed it, let it spend the night. The next day, dug them up. It was cool. It was kind of crazy, but fun at the same time.

That’s why in the album, there’s a picture of Chino with a shovel, and the shovel is from when we were digging the holes. That’s why he has a shovel. People are still like, “Why is he holding a shovel in a picture?” That’s why. Because we’re digging holes in in Indigo Ranch, in the Malibu hills.

Since the interview posted, numerous people have shared their thoughts on the pair’s plan.

For instance, there’s a Reddit thread about it in which one user wrote: “This would be like throwing holy water on the tapes and claiming they are blessed with the spirit lmfao. Fucking religious nut jobs.”

Elsewhere, someone on X stated, “Maybe it got cursed instead,” just as another X user asked: “is that why the album sucks? The indigenous put a curse on it?”

Similarly, two people on Instagram joked, “Them both probably high as f@ck” and “Well, you can’t argue with science,” respectively. To be fair, someone else had a kinder response: “And we are thankful for it.”

So, did you already know that Cavalera and Moreno did this? How do you feel about it? Let us know!

READ MORE: The 13 Most Shocking Lineup Departures in Rock + Metal History

Other Deftones + Chino Moreno News

Earlier this month, Chino Moreno appearance on Aaron Bruno of AWOLNATION's Totally Committed Podcast, where he dove into why his favorite song is “The Beautiful Ones” by Prince.

“[It’s] an emotional rollercoaster. Great vocals, music’s fucking beautiful,” the Deftones frontman said of the Purple Rain track, adding:

The first time hearing it was probably when I watched the movie [Purple Rain] as a kid. So you really get the visual of what’s going on in the movie. It’s a real kind of transition in the movie when Apollonia first really realizes that she’s really down for Prince as opposed to Morris [Day]. But he gets her with that song and by the end, she’s just like tears coming down. Musically, there’s so many little things that happen. I think it’s maybe two thirds of way through the song and there’s this keyboard, real sort of diminished keyboard that comes in in the song and it’s an emotional tune, man.

Of course, Deftones are gearing up for their international tour in support of their 10^th studio album, Private Music, which arrived this past August and received positive reviews from publications such as NME, Pitchfork, Kerrang! and Metal Hammer. You can see the full list of upcoming dates – and grab tickets – here.

Other Max Cavalera + Soulfly News

Last month, Max Cavalera revealed the advice that Ozzy Osbourne gave him regarding his departure from Sepultura in 1997.

“I was no longer with [Sepultura] and Ozzy was the first to say, 'Fuck it, man! Get back on the horse. Just dust off and go to war,’” Cavalera said during an interview with Louisville's LEO Weekly. “I was like fuck yeah! Ozzy is down for me to go to war! I’m your man! I’m a soldier! Let’s go, you know?”

As mentioned above, Soulfly just put out their 13th studio set, Chama. In fact, it was released this past Friday – Oct. 24 – via Nuclear Blast Records, and so far, it’s gotten solid reviews from Metal Hammer, Kerrang! and Heavy Blog is Heavy.

Unsurprisingly, Soulfly will be playing various venues across the United States next month (with support from Go Ahead and Die). You can see the full batch of dates – and purchase tickets – here.