DAVID VINCENT is still on the fence about recording new music with I AM MORBID

27-03-2024

In a new interview with Robert Walton of The Metal Meltdown, former MORBID ANGEL bassist/vocalist David Vincent was asked if there are any plans for him to record new music with I AM MORBID, the band which has spent the last few years exclusively performing material that Vincent recorded with MORBID ANGEL. He responded: “Well, there’s been some discussion about it. I’m still on the fence. I’m on the fence about that because, with that, there are expectations. And goodness, when you have the catalog that I do and the formula that was part of that catalog, that may or may not be a difficult thing. I mean, there’s some days where I feel very inspired to do so, and there’s other days where I’m, like, ‘This is like an old wine. And a young wine doesn’t…’ Some of the beauty of it is the age of it. So, I don’t know. It’s an ongoing discussion, but I don’t have anything to announce right now.”

When Walton noted that EMPEROR‘s Ihsahn has been reluctant to make a new album with the legendary Norwegian black metal outfit because he feels that it could never live up to fans’ expectations, David seemingly concurred. “Well, Ihsahn is a good friend of mine,” he said. “I respect him quite a bit as an artist, and I actually agree with him. There is something to that.

“There have been offers for I AM MORBID to make new music — substantial offers — but not everything is about money with me. I mean, sure, everybody has bills to pay. We’re all humans, we all have needs, but my artistic needs outweigh any greed that may get in the way. I don’t allow my needs to push me into doing anything. When it comes to art, it’s as pure and organic as possible. And I don’t want to let those considerations in.”

I AM MORBID, which also features former MORBID ANGEL drummer Pedro “Pete” Sandoval (drums), along with guitarists Richie Brown (EXMORTUS, THE ABSENCE, TRIVIUM) and Bill Hudson (NORTHTALE, DORO), recently completed a 17-date European tour. Presented by The Flaming Arts Agency, the trek celebrated the 30th anniversary of “Covenant”, MORBID ANGEL‘s third full length album, considered to be one of the greatest death metal LPs of all time and a landmark album in the genre.

I AM MORBID played a combination of festivals and club shows during the tour and will performed material from “Covenant” as well as tracks from other classic Vincent-era MORBID ANGEL albums “Altars Of Madness”, “Blessed Are The Sick” and “Domination”.

Last October, I AM MORBID parted ways with guitarist Kelly McLauchlin (POSSESSED, DIABOLIC, UNHOLY GHOST) and replaced him with Brown.

Brown made his live debut with I AM MORBID at the Grita Fest in Colombia.

I AM MORBID‘s spring 2022 European tour marked the first time Sandoval and Vincent played together in 12 years.

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 left MORBID ANGEL unvoluntarily in 2015. He has since been replaced by a returning Steve Tucker, who previously handled bass and vocals on MORBID ANGEL‘s “Formulas Fatal To The Flesh”, “Gateways To Annihilation” and “Heretic” LPs.

In 2019, Vincent released “Something Wicked Marches In”, the debut album from his supergroup VLTIMAS, also featuring guitarist Rune Eriksen (formerly of MAYHEM) and CRYPTOPSY drummer Flo Mounier. Two years earlier, Vincent issued his debut country single, “Drinkin’ With The Devil”.

Two years ago, Sandoval released an Instagram video in which he addressed some of the most commonly asked questions regarding his time with MORBID ANGEL. He said: “I’ve been asked about who’s my favorite singer or which era is my favorite one — the era with David Vincent or with Steve Tucker. Well, I wanna tell you that I love both eras. I had fun. I had a great time working with David Vincent, and I had a great time working with Steve Tucker as well. So, from ‘Altars Of Madness’ (1989) to ‘Heretic’ (2003), they’re all masterpieces for me. We worked hard (on) those albums. So I’m telling you my answer that I don’t have a favorite album, I don’t have a favorite era, I don’t have a favorite singer — I love ’em all. I had a great time in both eras with every album.”

Sandoval added: “And as far as the album released in 2011” — referring to MORBID ANGEL‘s controversial “Illud Divinum Insanus” LP — “please don’t ask me any questions about it, because I have no comments about it — no comments at all, man. I stay what I am, I did what I did, and I am so happy and grateful that I did what I did with these guys.”

In a 2011 e-mail chat with Brazil’s Som Extremo, Sandoval was asked for his opinion of “Illud Divinum Insanus”, which incorporated industrial and electronic elements into MORBID ANGEL traditional death metal sound. “No comment! I don’t play on that album,” he wrote. He was then questioned about what he thought he would have done differently on “Illud Divinum Insanus” had he played on the record. “More extreme deathgrind metal and less DJ, boring awful typical I care less industrial experimental same as everybody boring bull!” he said. “This is not what MORBID has been all about! …Hmmmmmm, and I really care less…!”

Vincent left MORBID ANGEL in 2015. He has since been replaced by a returning Steve Tucker, who previously handled bass and vocals on MORBID ANGEL‘s “Formulas Fatal To The Flesh”, “Gateways To Annihilation” and “Heretic” LPs.

In a May 2019 interview with Jorge Botas of the “Metal Global” radio show, which airs on the Portuguese public TV and radio broadcaster RTP, Vincent said that he had every right to perform MORBID ANGEL‘s classic songs with I AM MORBID.

“Times come and life works the way that it does,” Vincent said. “And there are times when… It’s like a marriage — sometimes they don’t always work forever. But that doesn’t mean that the children that we’ve had together, that I don’t still love my children. Although Trey (Azagthoth, MORBID ANGEL guitarist and sole remaining original member) and I have some irreconcilable differences, that doesn’t in any way preclude me from still having the love and the passion for all of my children.”

Asked what he has to say to people who insist that he should not play MORBID ANGEL‘s early material without the other members of the group’s classic lineup, David said: “There’s examples of this very situation… I mean, when Ozzy (Osbourne) left BLACK SABBATH, that didn’t stop him from playing ‘Paranoid’ every night, even though he didn’t write the song. All of the songs that I’m singing I wrote. So I don’t really understand that. But different people become attached to different things. And they have their opinion and I have mine. And I don’t really consider this kind of negativity. I don’t have it in my life.”

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