MORBID ANGEL Drummer Undergoes Back Surgery; DIVINE HERESY's TIM YEUNG Steps In

Florida-based death metal veterans MORBID ANGEL have issued the following update:

"World Management and MORBID ANGEL would like to let the fans know that rumors about Pedro 'Pete' Sandoval's [drums] back surgery are, in fact, true. Pete has suffered for a long time with a deteriorating disc problem. He was in daily pain and needed to have this done. He has recently been treated by a laser back surgery specialist in Tampa, Florida. He is currently in rehabilitation and doing well.

"Pete is part of our family and the band's history and we all wish him well and a full recovery. Unfortunately, this type of injury, subsequent surgery and rehab cannot be rushed and it will take ample time for him to hopefully be back behind his drums again and out on tour with MORBID ANGEL.

"The band is moving forward on their next recording with Tim Yeung (DIVINE HERESY, ALL THAT REMAINS, NILE, HATE ETERNAL, VITAL REMAINS).

"Currently the guys are in rehearsals in Tampa putting their finishing touches on the songs for the new album, which is slated for [release via Season Of Mist] later this year, with subsequent touring worldwide."

Professionally filmed video footage of MORBID ANGEL's entire June 27, 2009 performance at the Rock al Parque festival at Parque Simon Bolivar in Bogota, Colombia can be viewed at this location. A clip of the new song "Nevermore" is available below. (Note: The footage originally aired on Colombia's Canal Capital.)

MORBID ANGEL guitarist Trey Azagthoth last year spoke to Revolver magazine about the band's upcoming album, which will mark the Florida-based group's first release to feature bassist/vocalist David Vincent since 1995's "Domination".

"We played the new song 'Nevemore' on the last tour and that kind of shows where our heads are at," he said. "I'd say it's like an assemblage of all sorts of stuff from the catalog and some new influences. I listen to a lot of hardcore [techno] music now — the fuckin' serious, artistic stuff, not that crap you hear at the clubs. That stuff has impact and it's really extreme. Even if there's no guitar in it or no real drums, the energy coming out of the speakers is amazing."

When asked who's going to be producing the album, Azagthoth replied, "All I can say is, when it's ready, it's going to be extreme and outside the box. And, hopefully, the songs will inspire people to look deeper inside themselves for 'the stuff' and to tap that potential that we as human beings have."

Although MORBID ANGEL's upcoming album does not currently have a name, its title will likely begin with the letter "I", in keeping with the band's tradition of titling their albums in alphabetical order beginning with 1989's "Altars of Madness", and continuing through "Heretic".

"A lot of people around the world have come up with titles that they thought it would be," David Vincent told Norway's "Tinitus" radio show in an interview that aired in June 2008. "There is no title yet — we've not decided on it. We've not decided whether it's going to continue following the alphabet or not. So anything that you hear or read on the Internet is totally speculation by anyone."

MORBID ANGEL played its first show with new touring guitarist, ZYKLON's longtime axemeister Destructhor (a.k.a. Thor Anders Myhren),on June 22, 2008 at the Hellfest in Clisson, France.

Regarding Destructhor's addition to the band's touring lineup, Vincent said, "We had a fairly long audition process. We looked long and hard at this. We decided when we began this process that it was gonna be a unanimous decision. We had several people [apply for the job] — very good players from, really, all over the world — and we got a video from Thor — the same video that we asked from all the different players; the same two songs — and some people didn't get past the initial discussion stage, and then some people went on to the next stage and it ended up that the band unanimously felt that Thor would be the best guitarist for the band."