Sepultura, 25th June 2026, Hades, Copenhell Festival, Denmark

Photo: Goran www.urbanmescalero.com

The Celebrating Life Through Death tour is set to be the band’s final tour, but these days there is no telling whether that will actually be the case. Slayer is back on the road after what was supposed to be their “final” show, and just about every band that has embarked on a farewell tour has eventually returned to the stage in one form or another. As things stand, however, Sepultura’s final show is scheduled to take place on 7 November this year at Mercado Livre Arena Pacaembu in São Paulo.

Considering the band’s enormous impact and legacy, that is not something to be missed.

Ever since the departure of drummer Igor Cavalera two decades ago, the band has made sure to fill his massive shoes properly—first with Jean Dolabella and later by introducing the wonder that is Eloy Casagrande to the world. Since Casagrande left the band two years ago, his replacement, Greyson Nekrutman, has proven to be yet another outstanding Sepultura drummer.

During their one-hour performance, the band did a good job representing a large part of their enormous catalogue. However, when they chose to play no fewer than three songs from their latest EP, The Cloud of Unknowing, it became clear that there was a great deal of outstanding material – especially from the three decades during which Derrick Green has fronted the band – that had to be left out.

Had they limited themselves to just one song from the new EP – perhaps the standout track, “The Place” – they could have delivered a set that served as an even better representation of their more than four decades-long career. Perhaps we could have heard something from the magnificent Dante XXI, A-Lex, or the milestone that was Against.

Nevertheless, Sepultura delivered a remarkably diverse set, with Green once again cementing his importance in the band’s history, while Nekrutman underlined that, much like his predecessor Casagrande before him, this young drummer has all the qualities to become one of the next great names in metal.

The band, and especially Andreas Kisser, came across as grateful and fully aware that this was likely the last time they would play Denmark, a country they first visited back in 1989 as support for Sodom.

Of course, the band also took time to celebrate their ever-important Brazilian roots with “Kaiowas”, accompanied by a percussion jam during which several of their friends joined them on stage. Among them was Todd La Torre of Queensrÿche, who had performed on the same stage just a few hours earlier.

The final part of the set really got the packed crowd in front of the Hades stage going, but due to the festival curfew, the band had to cut the last couple of songs short.

Sepultura delivered a worthy farewell to their Danish audience. One can only wish it had lasted longer – and perhaps taken place during their own headlining show, where they would have had the opportunity to present an even broader cross-section of their remarkable career.

SETLIST:

1. Inner Self
2. All Souls Rising
3. Kairos
4. Attitude
5. The Place
6. Escape to the Void
7. Kaiowas
8. Beyond the Dream
9. Refuse/Resist
10. Arise
11. Ratamahatta
12. Roots Bloody Roots