STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN – JUNE 09: (L-R) Derrick Green and Andreas Kisser of Sepultura perform live onstage at Gröna Lund on June 09, 2025 in Stockholm, Sweden. (Photo by Iwi Onodera/Redferns)
Redferns
The Brazilian groove metal pioneers Sepultura are nearing the final stretch of their career spanning over four decades. In 2025 the band were touring relentlessly across the globe to ensure they made it to every corner of the globe before they finally hang it up in 2026. Now with the band’s final year approaching, Sepultura has announced Dublin, Ireland will be hosting their final EU performance at Dublin’s 3Arena on August 9th.
“Dublin! We couldn’t think of a better place to play our final ever European show than your beautiful city and to be joined by our friends in Biohazard, Malevolence, Sacred Reich & Crypta will make this an event not to be missed. See you next August!”
As the band mentions, they will be joined by a handful of superb old school and up an acts including fellow Brazilian death metal trailblazers Crypta.
Why Is Sepulutra Calling It Quits?
Sepultura has been around the block for over 40 years. For any band that’s been around for that long it can get especially grueling and tiresome to continue on, despite fans still turning up to shows and being eager for new music. Sepultura guitarist Andreas Kisser was asked in a recent interview about the band’s decision to embark on a farewell tour and whether it was related to his interest in pursuing other musical styles. Kisser commented, “I never felt kind of locked in the Sepultura world to write [in a specific style]. We were always very fearless to do whatever we want. I mean, Nation is a very different album, A-Lex, all those albums that were inspired by books and stuff. It is, I think, more of the routine of being in a band like Sepultura. 40 years — 40 years, man. Have you ever done something for 40 years, like your job?”
Kisser elaborated, “Think about it. [Laughs] It’s an amazing achievement inside the entertainment business to have such a band for so long, and ups and downs, to have a following. Every time we were doing albums, we were playing, we had a deal with the record label, regardless of the formation, regardless of the time we were. We played for 10 people, then we were back to play big places and stuff. It’s a beautiful history. It’s a beautiful history of art and life. And I was kind of feeling to get in that mode of doing another album, doing another tour, it’s kind of too predictable. I mean, an artist has to be not in the comfort zone. If you’re there, you’re fucked, because you’re going to lose touch with reality. You’re gonna start living in this bubble of what Sepultura should be.”
There’s no ‘should’. There’s a new Sepultura every day. We can do anything we want, musically wise, because we conquered that. Sepultura is this. It is not thrash metal. It’s not heavy metal. It’s not dark metal. It’s not Brazilian metal. It’s Sepultura metal. That’s why we have a name, right? [Laughs] Otherwise, why have a name? This is Sepultura. That’s what we are — very free. We’re not scared or to take risks. Art is risks. If you do something new, you’re gonna take risks. There’s no other way. And that’s where you learn, with your mistakes or with your errors and your everything. But it’s great to stop in a great momentum without fighting, without an external factor breaking up this band. It’s our own terms. We chose that very peacefully, a conscious decision. We took two years talking about working out, preparing this, and now we enjoying ourselves. It’s amazing. And why not? I mean, it’s a privilege to have that, to have that possibility, to stop while we can or to stop in this momentum. And then the future is the future. Let’s see. [Laughs]”
Kisser’s final words “the future is the future” are certainly open to interpretation. These days fans are hesitant believe in ‘final farewell tours’ actually being final, especially in rock and heavy metal. Sepultura famously parted ways with two of its founding members in the late 90’s, brothers Max and Igor Cavalera. To many, the Cavalera brothers are an essential part of the band’s legacy, given both musicians wrote and contributed to the band’s first sixth albums, which are the band’s most celebrated records. Furthermore, both Max and Igor co-founded the band together prior to Kisser joining in 1987.
All this is to say, a Sepultura reunion is something that’s been a hot topic in the metal community for quite some time. This is why many fans, like myself, are hesitant to believe that 2026 will be the band’s final year. It’s plain and simple, reunion tours drive ticket sales and fans needn’t look no further than the success of reunions like Oasis, Guns N’ Roses, Pantera, Mötley Crüe and the myriad of other rock reunions. And as annoying as fake-farewell tours are, a Sepultura reunion might be one of the best reunions the metal scene has left.