A New Generation Takes The Reigns as Max and Igor Cavalera’s New Band Brings A Vicious Live Show to the Shores of South Florida – Photos and Review of the “Go Ahead and Die” concert at the Culture Room in Ft Lauderdale, FL

The Florida Metalhead’s cup runneth over this weekend, as Friday marked the South Florida live debut of Go Ahead and Die, the long awaited side project of Max Cavalera and his son Igor Amadeus Cavalera. Formed during the pandemic, the band has just released a new album of punishing riffs and vicious lyrics called “Unhealthy Mechanisms“. The machine-gun rapid fire guitars and incredible drums remind me of some of Max’s other side projects such as Nailbomb, and its great to see that the apple didn’t fall too far from the tree!

Every time there’s a show at the Culture Room, you already know it’s going to be a blast. From the intimate size which guarantees a good view from nearly every spot, the the laid-back atmosphere of the club, there’s a reason why the venue is legendary in local circles. And one of the things that surprised me the most was how young the crowd was! Normally, at a Soulfly show the crowd is mostly made up of Sepultura fans from an older generation, and it was inspiring to see that the younger generation of metalheads is alive and well and coming out to concerts.

Kicking off the show was local South Florida metal band MRSA, who have become a staple in the local scene with their entertaining, horror themed live show. The band performs in full costume, and lead singer Dean Corpse takes the stage donned in a Leatherface mask setting the mood for the show to follow. The band’s theatrical performance featured fake blood, mutilated body parts, and even a few familiar special guests who appeared during the band’s brutal death metal performance.

Up next was the up-and-coming metal band Bodybox, another Florida band who have been working hard for the past few years opening up for big names like Crowbar and Soulfly and getting their name out there to the masses. They were the surprise hit of the night, as their crushing hardcore riffs and singer Harry Brown’s vocals drove the crowd into a frenzy and kept a moshpit going the entire set. Along with Bodysnatcher, Bodybox is one of the Florida bands to be on the lookout for, as I’m sure they’re going to be much bigger things soon.

Finally, it was time for the main event and the crowd cheered as the lights dimmed as the Go Ahead and Die logo appeared on the screen. Max and Igor finally appeared on stage and kicked things off into high gear with their first song, “Desert Carnage”. I was elated to see that Igor was front and center, both singing and playing guitar at the same time just like his father. Max, for the most part, stayed off to the side while delivering his signature staccato backing vocals and crushing guitar solos, giving his son the spotlight for the show. The backing band was amazing too, with the rhythm and bass section doing an excellent job laying the grove down while Max and Igor shredded. The band was able to play through nearly all the material they have written, and it was an incredible show front-to-back as evidenced by the extraordinary energy of the crowd.

Another night and another great show at Culture Room in the books. Max and Igor once again delivered a fantastic show to their favorite South Florida venue, and as the crowd left you could hear they talking about what an incredible show it was. With killer guitars, incredible vocals and an incredible backing band, Go Ahead and Die could easily become one of Max’s bigger projects, and they definitely need to hop on some festivals soon to reach some new ears! I can’t wait to see them return to Ft Lauderdale!