FORBIDDEN will tour the United States this autumn without bassist Matt Camacho or drummer Chris Kontos. Both are sitting out the run with HEATHEN and VOID for personal reasons, and both are expected back in 2027.
The Bay Area thrashers announced the change on Friday, September 18. Standing in are Avery Thurman on bass and Eli Lucas on drums.
"They both have personal reasons that they can't make this trip," the band's statement read. "Please respect their privacy as we do and support their decision." It adds that the two are "planning on being back in the fold in 2027, as we have a full slate of touring coming up to support our first new album in 16 years — a record that both Chris & Matt are a part of and made amazing contributions to."
Neither replacement is a stranger. "Eli was the runner-up as FORBIDDEN's drummer during our international search back in 2011," the band said. "He barely missed the cut by a whisker to Sasha Horn, simply because Eli was a little too young & inexperienced at the time. Since then, he's gained a reputation as one of the Bay Area's best drummers." Thurman, a 21-year-old they describe as a bass prodigy, is "being borrowed from the legendary BLIND ILLUSION". Rehearsals have been running for weeks, on a set built around 18 songs that can be rotated night to night.
For Camacho the absence carries some weight. "This is the first tour I will miss since 1987," he said, "and I'll be super excited to rejoin my brothers in 2027. There is nothing more satisfying than playing for FORBIDDEN fans, which is why it pains me, due to circumstances out of my control, that I will miss the upcoming US tour."
Kontos cited family and personal commitments and timing that would not line up. "Please show my replacement, Eli Lucas, the same respect and support you would show me," he wrote. "Eli is a fantastic drummer who will certainly deliver an outstanding performance on this tour."
The "Chaos By Design" tour opens October 23 at The Usual Place in Las Vegas and closes November 22 in Los Angeles. The same day it launches, FORBIDDEN release their self-titled album through BLKIIBLK, the metal imprint of Frontiers Label Group — their first in 16 years, tracked at Sharkbite Studios in Oakland with engineer and co-producer Zack Ohren. First single "Burning The Lungs Of Earth" arrived earlier this month.
Formed in Fremont in 1985 as FORBIDDEN EVIL, the band built their name on "Forbidden Evil" (1988) and "Twisted Into Form" (1990), split in 1997, reunited in 2008 for "Omega Wave", went quiet again in 2012 and returned in 2023 with founder Craig Locicero and vocalist Norman Skinner.