出身自重金属名门正派的SEPULTURA（埋葬）乐队的主唱Max Cavalera在《Roots》专辑之后也开始了他事业的另一片天空，那就是组建新金属乐队SOULFLY。可以说，与众多重金属死硬乐迷和乐队相比，Max的眼界可没有那么窄。在SOULFLY的首张同名专辑里，Max延续了在《Roots》里进行的巴西土著音乐方面的尝试，并进一步对他的另一偶像、雷鬼音乐传奇乐手BobMarley进行了致敬，把雷鬼音乐的元素也融入了SOULFLY的音乐。他还邀请了一众来自说唱、新金属和另类金属阵营的朋友到这张专辑里来客串，其中就包括DEFTONES的主唱Chino、LIMP BIZKIT乐队的主唱Fred Durst和DJ Lethal、说唱名团CYPRESS HILL的Eric Bobo以及FEAR FACTORY乐队的Burton C. Bell、Dino Cazares和Christian Olde Wolbers。从这里出发，Max成为了一名真正意义上的重型音乐艺术家，并不局限于传统重金属领域，因为他可以在其他更广阔的领域里进行尝试而不会因此受到外人关于乐风上的责难。
Upon his exit from Sepultura in late 1996, singer/guitarist/songwriter Max Cavalera almost automatically set out to form his next musical endeavor, the ultra-heavy Soulfly. Besides leaving one of the most popular heavy metal bands in the world, which he co-founded in the early '80s, he also had to deal with the unsolved murder of Dana Wells, his stepson and best friend. Using music as therapy to overcome his depression, Cavalera put together a band that included Roy "Rata" Mayorga on drums (ex-Thorn) and Jackson Bandeira on second guitar (ex-Chico Science), while former Sepultura roadie Marcello D. Rapp rounded out the quartet on bass. Their self-titled debut album was released in the spring of 1998. Besides fronting Soulfly, Cavalera has branched out into other areas usually not associated with heavy metal musicians. He became a much sought-after speaker at music conventions, as evidenced by his appearances at CMJ's New Music Marathon in New York and Holland's Crossing Boarder Festival, both in late 1997. He also guested on Deftones' breakthrough album, Around the Fur, and signed on to sing a TV commercial for Sprite in his native land of Brazil.
Soulfly's second album, Primitive, was released in the fall of 2000. The album was met with a split reaction, and Cavalera found himself the object of criticism from factions of his fan base. The heavy amount of guest appearances and preference toward nu-metal lyrics were the main complaints, but Cavalera maintained pride in his work and kept going, hitting the road and touring behind the album. He handled the production for 2002's III, and Soulfly returned again in 2004 with Prophecy. A year later, Roadrunner reissued their self-titled first album as part of the label's 25th anniversary celebration. Soulfly's fifth album, Dark Ages, appeared in October 2005. Continuing his habit of switching up the lineup, Cavalera was backed this time out by bassist Bobby Burns, guitarist Marc Rizzo (ex-Ill Niño), and drummer Joel Nunez, who had previously played on Primitive. In 2007 Cavalera began collaborating with brother and former Sepultura drummer Igor on a project called Cavalera Conspiracy. The duo made its live debut that August as the opening act for Soulfly, and went on to release an album, Inflikted, for Roadrunner in 2008. Soulfly's sixth full-length offering, Conquer, arrived in July 2008.