Pete Sandoval of I Am Morbid believes metal is dead in America.
“We have seen it in our eyes how the scene has enlarged, has expanded. Some of the first bands in Florida — there was Death, there was Morbid Angel, Deicide, Amon, whatever, Obituary, Cannibal Corpse…” the drummer told Francisco Zamudio of KNAC.COM in a new interview.
He continued, “We were some of the first bands that were doing this, along with these other European bands like Kreator, Destruction, Sodom, you name, Bathory. So all these [bands] helped bring these tons and tons of bands that we have nowadays. And a lot of bands have made it.”
“Black metal came in after death metal. First was death metal, of course, in the [late] ’80s, ’90. Then after that comes the awakening of black metal. Black metal got big somehow, and it’s still big in some areas. In fact, metal is much bigger in Europe,” Sandoval explained.
The musician further shared, “That’s why we play more times in Europe because over there it’s more appreciated, [bands that play] this kind of music. But now we are proving that we are a good band here in the States as well. So, hey, everything is doing great.”
In an October chat with American Songwriter, K.K. Downing also talked about the differences between European and American metal scenes. The guitarist said, “In Europe, people do save up and spend money on festivals to go and see 60 or 80 bands over a weekend. Fortunately, we get to play to those people which is great. In Europe, we have literally hundreds of festivals now.”
“There’s so many it’s amazing, but I don’t see that in the States. I’m thinking if a big band comes around—AC/DC, Metallica, or whoever it might be—people would maybe save up for that one special occasion, as opposed to frequenting local theaters and clubs to see a lot of other bands,” Downing added.
I Am Morbid started the ‘Devastation on the Nation’ 2024 U.S. Tour in Tampa on November 15. Their next gig will be on December 10 in Worcester, Massachusetts.
