SEPULTURA's DERRICK GREEN Says Original Idea For Farewell Tour Came From ANDREAS KISSER: 'It Just Seemed To Really Make Sense'

Earlier this month, SEPULTURA frontman Derrick Green spoke to Neil Jones of TotalRock at the Bloodstock Open Air festival at Catton Park, Walton-on-Trent, United Kingdom about the band's decision to stage a farewell tour, more than 40 years after the group's formation. After Jones noted that he senses that "this is genuinely it for SEPULTURA", unlike many other hard rock and heavy metal acts who have embarked on "farewell" tours before, only to change their minds, Derrick concurred. "This is our last tour," he said. "This is what we know in the moment. This is all I can predict. This is all that I can really change and maneuver and move around is what's happening now. That's the reality of it. I don't know what's gonna happen in the future, but this is what we wanna do right now, and this is where we're at, what we prepared for for the past two years or three years that we've been touring and wanting to do a tour of the entire world, as many places as possible.

"With the history of SEPULTURA, we played over 80 different countries, so we needed that length of time in order to do a proper farewell," Green explained. "And so our last show being November 7th, I believe, in São Paulo [Brazil], that's it, and that's what we know. That's what we're focused on, to that date. And so this is our last show for the U.K. And it's emotional. But at the same time, it's a celebration, and that's what we've been doing this entire farewell tour, is celebrating the history of SEPULTURA."

Regarding how the decision to call it quits came bout, Derrick said: "Well, it actually came about from Andreas [Kisser, SEPULTURA guitarist]. And the idea was just — the timing of everything, of what was going on, it just seemed to really make sense. We had gotten to a point where we had done the cycle of go in the studio, write some songs, record them, do press dates and everything, then do a tour for two years, and then, again, write new material. We've done that cycle over [and over]… And so then it gets to a point where it's… For us, doing music and playing music is about having fun and having fun with it, and we were fortunate to be able to do that for so many years. It had just gotten to the point where we didn't want it to be something we had to do. We wanted to be something we wanna do, and we wanna take a break, we wanna stop, and we wanna stop on a very high end, a high note, so to speak, where everyone's getting along. Nobody's stopping because of something physical or health reasons, knock on wood. And this is an honor to be able to call when you wanna call it. It takes a lot of thought and a lot of heart, I believe, to stop and be, like, 'You know what? We're at a great point, let's leave it at this, and leave on a high note.' And there's something very beautiful about that, and it's becoming something bigger than we imagined. It actually is becoming harder to leave, just the fact that things have been going so well and the turnout of many people who've been fans for many years have been following the band. And it's a great feeling. It's an incredible feeling when you have people come up and say, 'Don't stop. Keep going.' And I think we made the right choice in doing this and to step away at this point in time. So to have that control is something that's a very unique opportunity, and this is what we're doing in this moment."

Formed in Belo Horizonte in 1984, SEPULTURA helped redefine the boundaries of heavy metal and became the most internationally recognized Brazilian rock band of all time. Through landmark albums such as "Beneath The Remains", "Arise", "Chaos A.D." and "Roots", the band influenced generations and opened doors for Brazilian heavy music worldwide.

Throughout its career, SEPULTURA performed at some of the world's most important festivals, including Rock In Rio, Lollapalooza, Wacken Open Air, Hellfest and Download, building a legacy that transcends metal and has a permanent place in music history.

SEPULTURA's final show will take place on November 7, 2026 at the Mercado Livre Arena Pacaembu in São Paulo, Brazil. Also appearing on the bill will be METAL ALLEGIANCE, featuring some of the most respected musicians in the global metal scene, including Mike Portnoy of DREAM THEATER, Alex Skolnick and Chuck Billy of TESTAMENT, Phil Demmel, formerly of MACHINE HEAD, Troy Sanders of MASTODON, and bassist/founder Mark Menghi. The lineup will also feature confirmed appearances by KRISIUN, one of the world's most respected death metal bands, and American thrash metal band SACRED REICH. Former members and musicians connected to SEPULTURA's history over the decades are also expected to join the celebration, including Jean Dolabella and Jairo Guedz, the latter of whom preceded Kisser in the band's lineup.

SEPULTURA recently released a new EP, "The Cloud Of Unknowing", via Nuclear Blast Records.

SEPULTURA kicked off its farewell tour on March 1, 2024 at Arena Hall in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The sold-out show marked the band's debut performance with drummer Greyson Nekrutman, who previously played with SUICIDAL TENDENCIES.

SEPULTURA announced previous drummer Eloy Casagrande's departure on February 27, 2024, explaining in a statement that he was leaving to join "another project", with Eloy later confirming that he was the new drummer of SLIPKNOT.

The news of Eloy's exit from SEPULTURA came just two months after the band announced it would celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2024 by embarking on a "farewell tour" which would cover the entire globe.

In SEPULTURA's statement, the remaining bandmembers expressed their shock over Casagrande's departure, saying they were "taken by surprise" that their now-former drummer would "abandon everything related to SEPULTURA" less than a month prior to the start of the tour.

SEPULTURA is putting together a live album commemorating its last run of shows. The band is recording 40 songs in 40 different cities for what SEPULTURA said will be a "massive compilation of our best, most energetic moments on stage."