Derrick Green may have fronted Sepultura since 1997, but his tastes range far beyond the boundaries of metal. Here, the Cleveland-born singer dives into his record collection and pulls out everything from old school hardcore to 80s prog.
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The first album I ever bought was…
Rush - Moving Pictures (1981)
“One glorious day when I was 12, I managed to save up the money to buy this and Descendents’ Milo Goes To College at the same time. I listened to Rush at a friend’s house after school and he could play Rush songs on the drums so well. I was open-minded because my mom was a music teacher – I loved all different styles of music.”
The best album artwork is…
Bad Brains - Bad Brains (1982)
“It’s so powerful, politically charged and straight to the point, but most importantly it connects to the album’s music. You can see the Capitol Building being struck by lightning – it’s all about radically shaking the system and it’s still relevant today . They were so ahead of their years and they’ve stood the test of time.”
The album I wish I made is…
Queen - News Of The World (1977)
“It’s tough to choose between Queen albums because they’re all so good! News Of The World had such an impact on me and Freddie Mercury is one of my favourite vocalists of all time. He was phenomenal all-round, as a composer and singer. He was out of this world.”
A kid asks me what metal is, I hand them a copy of…
Black Sabbath - Vol 4 (1972)
“I’m a huge Sabbath fan and when I think about metal’s most influential band in my life, I always go straight back to Sabbath. I love both Dio and Ozzy – it’s so hard to choose between them.”
Nobody would believe I own a copy of…
Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures (1979)
“There’s this little-known band called Joy Division – I don’t think you’ve heard of them. To other people it might sound weird for me to own that, but it makes total sense to me.”
The album that reminds me of school is…
U2 - War (1983)
“This was out at the time I got a Walkman and it was the most incredible thing to ever be invented in my world… ‘This is amazing – I’m walking and listening to music at the same time!’ It made any voyage 100% more pleasurable – I wouldn’t even care if I was walking to hell, I’d still be listening to music!”
The album I most want to be remembered for is…
Sepultura - Machine Messiah (2017)
“In Sepultura, we’ve been able to evolve and do things very differently over the years. I’ve learned a lot of things and without those previous albums I wouldn’t be where I am now, but I’m very proud of what we’re doing right now.”
The album I want played at my funeral is…
Louis Armstrong - The Wonderful World Of Louis Armstrong (2006)
“I love the idea of a New Orleans-style funeral where everyone’s celebrating and remembering the good times. I’ve gotta have What A Wonderful World at my funeral because I love Louis Armstrong’s voice and the music is timeless.”
The most underrated album is…
Yes - 90125 (1983)
“Remember Owner Of A Lonely Heart? I love Yes, they’re such an integral part of my history. They’re incredible musicians – they were so different from anybody else and they had something truly original. Most rock bands I love are from the UK and I’m always down on Americans because we lost rock’n’roll!”
The album that should not be is…
Rush - Hold Your Fire (1987)
“I hate that album! I was with Rush right from the beginning, I could deal with the synths, but Hold Your Fire just lost me. They gained me back soon after and everything was fine but Hold Your Fire… no, thank you.”
