Sepultura - Celebrating Life Through Death Final North American Tour

After four decades, 14 gold records, and journeys through more than 80 countries and countless cultures, Sepultura has become one of the most influential metal bands of all time—serving as Brazil’s emissary to the global metal scene.

With their latest opus, Quadra—which debuted at No. 5 on the German charts and has amassed over 17 million streams on Spotify—the band from Belo Horizonte once again spread the colors and rhythms of Brazil worldwide. In late 2023, however, Sepultura announced plans to unite for one final, powerful farewell tour, bringing a close to a forty-year career.

For this final journey, the band enlisted prodigious 23-year-old American virtuoso Greyson Nekrutman as their new drummer. Together, the quartet has toured extensively across North America, Europe, and Latin America, delivering a career-spanning set that honors four decades of Sepultura’s legacy. Yet the journey is not over—the Farewell Tour will continue celebrating the band’s impact across multiple continents through 2026.

To date, Sepultura has released fifteen studio albums, selling over 3 million units in the United States and more than 20 million worldwide. The band has earned multiple gold and platinum records in France, Australia, Indonesia, Cyprus, and Brazil. Their magnum opus, Roots, has alone surpassed 225 million streams on Spotify.

For thousands of years, the word Exodus has been used to describe a massive human migration—an epic journey so powerful that the earth itself seems to tremble at its beginning. All such grand exploits start with a quiet awareness of what lies beyond. Yet four decades ago, EXODUS had no way of knowing just how far their own journey would take them: how high they would rise, how hard they would fall, and how many times they would rise again.

The formation of the beast now known as EXODUS began in Richmond, California, in 1979. While many would later join their journey as fans, there is no denying that the early 1980s marked a period of explosive growth for thrash metal—particularly in California’s Bay Area. Still just kids learning their instruments, Tom Hunting, Kirk Hammett, Tim Agnello, and Keith Stewart began by covering classic rock, punk rock, and Iron Maiden songs at backyard birthday parties. In an era before digital convenience, tape trading and grassroots music sharing fueled a relentless hunger for new sounds—one that fiercely shaped the band’s drive to learn, play, and ultimately write their own music.

Although Kirk Hammett famously departed the band prior to their genre-defining debut Bonded by Blood, guitarist and principal songwriter Gary Holt had already become a deeply rooted foundation of EXODUS. In 1982, the band added the unparalleled and now tragically deceased Paul Baloff as vocalist, cementing their sound and placing what would become one of the most infamous thrash albums of all time firmly on the map.

“We were living for heavy metal—it was rad. It was a great time to be alive,” remembers Holt.

With a newly semi-solid lineup—Hunting, Holt, Baloff, Hunolt, and McKillop—Bonded by Blood was finally unleashed in 1985. The importance of this album, and its influence on countless heavy metal artists who followed, cannot be overstated. “A lot of bands hit their peak a couple albums in,” Holt recalls. “We busted right out the gates with this face-melting thrash masterpiece. That first time when the shipment came in, and I opened the box and held that Bonded by Blood vinyl in my hands… that’s a feeling you’ll never replicate.”

In 1987, EXODUS released their second full-length album, Pleasures of the Flesh. The record marked a major transition, following Baloff’s departure and the arrival of vocalist Steve ‘Zetro’ Souza, who would go on to define the band’s voice for generations of fans. Eight more studio albums would follow. Despite lineup changes, periods of inactivity, family illness, and even death threatening to derail their momentum, EXODUS endured—continuing to write, perform, and command respect as true royalty within the kingdom of heavy metal.

Now celebrating 40 years as a band, reflecting on the history of EXODUS rekindles memories that remain larger than life. “What stands out most to me was getting to play our first tour with Venom in 1985, and then going to Europe with them afterwards,” recalls founder and drummer Tom Hunting. “Being 19 or 20 years old on a double-decker bus, traveling the world with no real concept of time or budget—we were just like, ‘Wow, this is awesome.’”

For this small-town California band, networking and touring alongside their idols opened doors to a completely new world. “Playing the Dynamo Festival for the first time in 1989, in front of what must have been 20,000 people—that was life-changing,” says Hunting.

The current EXODUS lineup consists of Tom Hunting (drums), Gary Holt (guitar), Lee Altus (guitar), Jack Gibson (bass), and Steve ‘Zetro’ Souza (vocals). More than four decades later, the band still maintains a writing process rooted in the same raw energy and camaraderie that defined their earliest days—proving that EXODUS remains as vital, ferocious, and uncompromising as ever.

Musical pioneers in every sense of the word, Biohazard were among the first bands to seamlessly blend hardcore, heavy metal, punk, and hip hop into an intoxicating genre all their own.

After more than a decade away, the Brooklyn, NY band’s original lineup reunited in 2023 to overwhelming fan fervor and critical acclaim—headlining the opening night of the legendary Milwaukee Metal Fest for their first show back. Ghost Cult Magazine declared that Biohazard “explosively unleashed their fury with fortitude and force,” delivering “a superhuman set and an awe-inspiring show.”

The band followed with two sold-out hometown shows in New York City, a late-summer festival run across the UK and Europe, and a fall North American tour as direct support for Megadeth. That was just the beginning.

In 2024, Biohazard returned to the UK and Europe for the early summer festival season—including a headlining slot at Download Festival—made a triumphant return to South America in the spring, and then came home to ignite America’s booming festival circuit. Their return didn’t just turn heads—it caused whiplash.

Partnering with Blkiiblk Records, the band entered the studio to record and release new music. More incendiary and relentless than ever, the trailblazers bring a fresh outlook and revitalized spirit to their upcoming full-length album, spearheaded by the lead single and video “Forsaken.” Thundering on the horizon like a call to arms for a world run astray, this release marks far more than a reunion.

For bassist/vocalist Evan Seinfeld, guitarist/vocalist Billy Graziadei, guitarist Bobby Hambel, and drummer Danny Schuler, it’s a revitalization and rebirth.

“It’s been ten years since we all played together, and I’m in a huge place of gratitude for the opportunity to get back to the roots of Biohazard,” says Seinfeld. “Not only to reconnect with the other guys, but also with the fans. We’ve been through decades of madness, and it feels like the Fantastic Four are back together.”