Formation, Bestial Devastation and Morbid Visions (1984–1986)

Sepultura was formed in 1984 in Belo Horizonte by brothers Max and Igor Cavalera, the sons of model Vânia, and well-to-do Italian diplomat Graciliano, whose death left the family in financial ruin. Graciliano's passing had deeply affected his sons, inspiring them to form a band after Max heard Black Sabbath's 1972 album Vol. 4 the very same day. They chose the name Sepultura, the Portuguese word for "grave", when Max translated the lyrics of the Motörhead song "Dancing on Your Grave". The brothers were previously in a cover band.

The brothers' early influences included Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Van Halen, Iron Maiden, Motörhead, AC/DC, Judas Priest, Ozzy Osbourne, V8, Terveet Kädet, Rattus, and Discharge. They would travel to a record store in São Paulo that mixed tapes of then-latest records by American bands. Their listening habits changed after they were introduced to Venom. As Igor Cavalera recalls:

I remember the first time I listened to Venom, it was on a friend's borrowed tape. It was similar to Motörhead, only a lot heavier. I remember someone saying: it's the devil's Motörhead! After we got acquainted with Venom, we stopped listening to Iron Maiden and all that lighter stuff.

Legacy and impact

Sepultura has been referred to as one of the "Big Four" of 1990s heavy metal by Lauryn Schaffner of Loudwire, along with Korn, Pantera, and Tool. In 2025, Zahra Huselid of Screen Rant included the band in the site's list of "10 Best Thrash Metal Bands Who Weren't The Big Four".

Looking back on the band's career in a 2016 article on Max and Igor Cavalera's retrospective Return to Roots tour (in commemoration of the album's 20th anniversary), Nashville Scene contributor Saby Reyes-Kulkarni observed that, "Before Chaos A.D., the overwhelming majority of metal had a 'white' feel to it. Sepultura changed that forever. And with Roots, the band went a step further, asserting once and for all that the genre can accommodate native stylings from any culture, much like jazz had done for decades prior." That same year, the staff of Loudwire named them the 41st best metal band of all time.