PETE SANDOVAL and DAVID VINCENT end all partnerships in I AM MORBID and TERRORIZER
01-10-2026
Former MORBID ANGEL drummer Pedro “Pete” Sandoval has left I AM MORBID after a four-year run with the latter band. Sandoval has also confirmed that David Vincent will no longer be involved with TERRORIZER, the influential grindcore and deathgrind band which has played sporadic live shows since returning to the stage in April 2024 at the SWR Barroselas Metalfest in Barroselas, Portugal.
Sandoval released the following message via social media: “Hey friends, I will not be part of the fall 2026 ‘Morbidfest’ I AM MORBID European tour with ATHEIST and CANCER, and I am no longer part of I AM MORBID.
“During my last tour with the band, I went through a lot. I became very sick with the flu and I wasn’t physically at my best, but that is not the reason for my decision.
“The truth is that, for some time now, I haven’t been feeling the same connection with these songs anymore. I AM MORBID has focused on the material from ‘Altars Of Madness’ through ‘Domination’. I am very proud of those records and everything I created and contributed to during those years, but my history with MORBID ANGEL continued far beyond ‘Domination’. There is a much larger part of my musical legacy that I haven’t been able to represent with I AM MORBID.
“I feel that I’ve given the fans everything I could through I AM MORBID over these past years, and now I need to take a break from this chapter and move forward.
“I have a lot of respect for Richie and Bill and their work, and I’m grateful for the time we spent playing together — especially on that last tour, when I was going through such a difficult time physically and wasn’t at my best.
“Most importantly, thank you to everyone who has been messaging me, sending me love, and telling me you’re looking forward to seeing me in Europe. I don’t want anyone to misunderstand the upcoming tour or expect me to be there when I won’t be.
“You will see me again — just under different circumstances.
“For now, this is all I want to say. Thank you for all the years of support, love and respect.”
A couple of hours after announcing his departure from Vincent‘s I AM MORBID project, Sandoval returned to his social media to write: “Hey guys, I also want to clarify something about TERRORIZER.
“I’m not ready to talk about all the details or future plans for TERRORIZER yet. What I can tell you is that TERRORIZER will continue, with some changes.
“I also want to be honest about something. At this point, I don’t feel that David Vincent and I can continue working together. David has his personality and his way of working, and I have mine. We are very different people, and professionally those differences have caused us to clash too many times.
“This is not about hate or holding a grudge. Sometimes two people simply reach a point where they realize that working together is no longer good for either of them.
“I respect everything we have done together, and I sincerely wish David the best. No hate, no hard feelings. I just believe it’s better for us to continue on separate paths professionally. As for TERRORIZER, I’ll share more when the time is right.”
Just seven months after saying that TERRORIZER was “over” due to his “busy schedule” with his personal life and I AM MORBID, Sandoval took to his social media to announce that TERRORIZER would perform on October 22, 2023 at the Maranhão Open Air 2023 in São Luís, Brazil. That performance was eventually canceled.
Before Sandoval recorded MORBID ANGEL‘s first album, 1989’s “Altars Of Madness”, he performed on two demos and a split album with his original band TERRORIZER. Today, the group’s 1989 full-length debut “World Downfall” is still considered a pinnacle for death metal and grindcore, featuring impossibly fast blast-beats and double-bass drumming along with a blitzkrieg attack by late guitarist Jesse Pintado (NAPALM DEATH),and ex-vocalist Oscar Garcia (NAUSEA). The 1989 lineup was rounded out by Sandoval and Vincent on bass.
Over the next twenty-three years, Sandoval took time between MORBID ANGEL albums to continue working with TERRORIZER, recording two more cataclysmic full-lengths, 2006’s “Darker Days Ahead” and 2012’s “Hordes Of Zombies”. Six years down the burning highway, TERRORIZER released 2018’s “Caustic Attack”, described at the time as “their heaviest and most eclectic album to date.”
Back in 2021, it was announced that TERRORIZER had signed a worldwide deal with Earache Records. At that time, the band’s lineup had consisted of Sandoval, Lee Harrison on guitar, and Sam Molina on bass/vocals.
Sandoval, who now lives his life as a born-again Christian, was forced to leave MORBID ANGEL in 2010 after undergoing surgery for a prolapsed disc.
Vincent told Invisible Oranges in a December 2013 interview that Pete had “found Jesus,” which meant that Sandoval and MORBID ANGEL were no longer “compatible.”
I AM MORBID‘s spring 2022 European tour marked the first time Sandoval and Vincent played together in 12 years.
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