Paulo Jr.
The unshakeable rhythmic backbone of Sepultura, anchoring the band's global thrash metal assault for nearly four decades.
Born 1969 (age 57)·Brazilian bassist·Birthday: April 30·Generation X
Biography
When Paulo Jr. picked up the bass for Sepultura in 1984, he stepped into a raw, burgeoning force in Belo Horizonte's metal underground. His steady, thunderous playing provided the essential foundation over which the Cavalera brothers built their frenetic guitar work, a role he has filled with unwavering loyalty as the band's longest-serving member. He witnessed and helped shape Sepultura's explosive rise from Brazilian cult act to international metal pioneers on albums like 'Beneath the Remains' and 'Arise'. Through seismic lineup changes, including the departure of the founding members, Paulo Jr. remained the constant, a bridge between the band's ferocious past and its evolving present. More than just a musician, he became the institutional memory and stabilizing force for a group whose very name means 'grave'.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Paulo was born in 1969, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Paulo Was Born
The biggest hits of 1969
#1 Movie
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Best Picture
Midnight Cowboy
#1 TV Show
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Paulo's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1969Born
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1974Started school
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1982Became a teenager
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1985Could drive
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1987Could vote
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1990Turned 21
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
1999Turned 30
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 40
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2019Turned 50
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
2026Age 57 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Has performed on every Sepultura studio album from 1993's 'Chaos A.D.' onward, a key period of the band's global success.
- Helped anchor the band's classic 'Roots' album, a landmark fusion of thrash metal with indigenous Brazilian rhythms.
- Remained the core member of Sepultura through multiple major lineup changes, ensuring the band's continuity and legacy.
- Toured globally for decades, bringing Brazilian metal to stages on every continent.
Did You Know?
He was a childhood friend of Sepultura's original members before joining the band.
Paulo Jr. is known for his distinctive, thick beard and generally stoic stage presence.
Outside music, he has a degree in business administration.
He is the only member to appear on all Sepultura albums since the 'Third World Posse' EP in 1992.
“The low end is the anchor; it has to be heavy and true.”
