Seven months after stepping off the road, Chris Garza is picking his guitar back up. The founding Suicide Silence guitarist confirmed on Tuesday, July 21 that he will be back onstage with the band this autumn for their newly announced “Reminders Of Hell Tour“.
“Okay. I’m back!” Garza wrote in his social media post.
How the hiatus began
Back on December 8, 2025, Garza told fans he was stepping away from live duty after more than two decades without a proper break. He had already missed a handful of shows by then, and people had noticed. His statement read:
“What’s up everyone. As some of you have noticed, I’ve missed the last couple Suicide Silence shows. It’s because I’m on a hiatus from the band. SuSi has been on my brain every day since 2002 with no break. Everything is fine. I just need to press the reset button so I can make the right decisions in the near future. As the Terminator said… I’ll be back.”
He was careful to stress that he had not quit — he remained a full member, just one who needed to step off the treadmill. The post went up as a joint announcement with the band’s own account, and it left Suicide Silence temporarily without a single founding member in their touring lineup.
During the time off, Garza poured his energy into the “Garza Podcast“, the interview show he has built into one of the more widely followed platforms in heavy music.
Who covered for him
Suicide Silence did not pause. On January 9, lead guitarist Mark Heylmun posted a long statement addressing the situation and naming Ian Waye of Swedish tech-death outfit Soreption as the stand-in for the band’s European and Asian dates.
Heylmun wrote:
“Hey everyone, with the news of Garza’s hiatus I thought I’d share some things I feel pertinent.”
“I’ve been in this band since 2005. I did not start this band, but I’ve been a part of creating every piece of music (for better or worse) that you’ve heard minus the EP and early demos. I did play the EP release show at showcase theatre in my first months of joining.”
“I took a break from the band for about 9 months in 2019 because I was preparing for my father’s passing who was fighting cancer and I knew it was only a matter of time. I never shared that publicly because I didn’t want my dad to know I was taking the break because of him. I’d have taken a longer break but was asked to come back to help write what became Become The Hunter.”
“I fully support/respect Garza’s decision to take a break. That said, SS is a part of my blood and DNA at this point and this band has always been a 5 headed dragon and the show must go on, and it will.”
“I speak for the guys when I say we’re stoked to have a ripping fill in step up to the plate for all upcoming shows. We are bringing our friend @themilkywaye of Soreption on board as fill in for the upcoming European and Asian tours. For anyone familiar with Ian’s playing you know he has a heavy right hand and can rip with the best of em. If it’s brief or if it’s for a while, we are gonna bring some serious firepower to every stage we step foot on as we always have. Can’t wait to see you all on the road!”
Waye held the spot through the winter, including the band’s European run supporting Slaughter To Prevail with Dying Fetus, which opened in Tilburg in January.
“The Reminders Of Hell Tour”
Garza‘s comeback lands on a 29-date North American haul announced this week. Emmure take the direct support slot, with AngelMaker and Synestia opening.
The tour begins November 6 at the Riverside Municipal Auditorium in Riverside, California — the city where Suicide Silence formed in 2002. Six weeks later it wraps at 1720 in Los Angeles. One stop, the November 14 Orlando date, is a Vans Warped Tour appearance rather than a headline club show.
Tickets go on general sale Friday, July 24 at 10 a.m. local time.
Reminders Of Hell Tour dates:
- Nov 6 – Riverside Municipal Auditorium, Riverside, CA
- Nov 7 – The Nile Theater, Mesa, AZ
- Nov 9 – Warehouse Live, Houston, TX
- Nov 10 – South Side Music Hall, Dallas, TX
- Nov 11 – Vibes Event Center, San Antonio, TX
- Nov 13 – The Masquerade, Atlanta, GA
- Nov 14 – Vans Warped Tour, Orlando, FL
- Nov 15 – Radio Room, Greenville, SC
- Nov 17 – The Pyrle, Greensboro, NC
- Nov 18 – Soundstage, Baltimore, MD
- Nov 20 – TLA, Philadelphia, PA
- Nov 21 – Palladium, Worcester, MA
- Nov 22 – The Brooklyn Monarch, Brooklyn, NY
- Nov 24 – Club Soda, Montreal, QC
- Nov 25 – The Concert Hall, Toronto, ON
- Nov 27 – Preserving, Pittsburgh, PA
- Nov 28 – Globe Iron, Cleveland, OH
- Nov 29 – St. Andrew’s Hall, Detroit, MI
- Dec 1 – House Of Blues, Chicago, IL
- Dec 2 – Myth, Minneapolis, MN
- Dec 4 – Summit Music Hall, Denver, CO
- Dec 5 – The Complex, Salt Lake City, UT
- Dec 6 – Treefort Music Hall, Boise, ID
- Dec 8 – The Showbox, Seattle, WA
- Dec 9 – The Hawthorne Theater, Portland, OR
- Dec 10 – Ace Of Spades, Sacramento, CA
- Dec 11 – Cargo Concert Hall, Reno, NV
- Dec 12 – The Ritz, San Jose, CA
- Dec 13 – 1720, Los Angeles, CA
