Derrick Green has spent the better part of two years saying goodbye. Now the Sepultura frontman is starting to describe what comes after, and it sounds like a deliberate step away from the template he has carried since 1998.
Speaking with Oran O’Beirne of “Overdrive.ie“, the vocalist confirmed that the search for collaborators is already underway, months before Sepultura play their last note.
“Well, I still wanna be involved in music. I would definitely love to create another band. And so I’m working on that, putting people together, getting together with people and seeing how that goes,” he said (as transcribed by Blabbermouth).
Pressed on where the material might land stylistically, Green gave the clearest picture yet of what he is hearing in his head. The weight stays. The delivery opens up.
“What I’m feeling is I definitely would love it to be as heavy, but at the same time a lot more melodical, a bigger mixture of singing and screaming. That’s the vibe that I’m feeling. And very much groove oriented. It’s what I have in my head. But it all depends on the combination of people that come together to create this idea. But I’ve already started talking to people and trying to figure out what could work best. ‘Cause I’m very excited with the music scene that’s happening. I live in [Los Angeles], so there’s a lot of bands passing through, and I had the chance to check out a lot of things that I never knew about or bands I’d never heard about. And it’s an exciting time, especially for hardcore and me being a hardcore kid, growing up in that scene, it’s great to see how it’s expanded and how big it’s become and still having so many different bands with their own personality and that stick out and are just super impressive and very energetic, and such a diverse scene of people. It’s great to see that mixture, because it wasn’t always there,” he explained.
The caveat matters as much as the description. Green has framed the project as something shaped by whoever ends up in the room rather than a fixed blueprint he intends to impose on hired hands.
His enthusiasm for the current hardcore landscape is not a passing reference either. Before Sepultura, the Cleveland-born singer came up through that world, and living in Los Angeles has put him in front of a steady rotation of touring acts he had never encountered.
Music is only one column on the list. Green told “Overdrive.ie” that several non-musical ambitions have been waiting on the calendar to clear.
“I always felt that I wanted to do voiceover work, whether it be for animation or commercial work, so that’s something that I’m gonna be pushing for, 100%,” Green said. “And also with food and the plant-based world, definitely working as far as whatever cool ideas that come about. I love to be a part of any type of project, and it’s great working with [former Whitesnake and current Bruce Dickinson bassist] Tanya [O’Callaghan]. Hopefully we can do more with [the plant-based travel and lifestyle web/TV series] ‘Highway To Health‘, was the name of our program that we have. We have a lot of material that was never shown. It still needs to be edited. So hopefully we’ll be able to do more with that. So there’s a lot of options at the end of this. And so just trying to put it together in my head, but at the same time, stay focused with the many shows that we have in front of us.”
“Highway To Health” pairs Green with Irish bassist Tanya O’Callaghan on a plant-based travel series that has featured guests including Moby, Kevin Smith and Kat Von D. According to the singer, a backlog of unaired footage is sitting unedited.
This conversation sharpens comments Green first made in April during an interview with U.K. outlet Heavy Matters, when he confirmed the new band was in motion.
“There’s so many possibilities, endless possibilities,” he stated at the time. “I’ve always been into photography, and I will continue to do that. I’ve been really into fitness and health and this plant-based world, and I’ll continue doing that. And I will continue doing music. I definitely would love to do another band. And I’m putting that together as we speak.”
He was candid then about the difficulty of rebuilding creative chemistry after nearly three decades alongside guitarist Andreas Kisser and bassist Paulo Xisto Pinto Jr.
“Trying to align with certain people, it’s like starting from scratch — well, not necessarily from scratch, but it’s definitely a challenge to form that connection with people again — different people. After being with a band for so long — I’ve been especially with [Sepultura guitarist] Andreas [Kisser] and [Sepultura bassist] Paulo [Xisto Pinto Jr.] for so many years, since like 1998 — so it’s interesting to think back and then now be where we’re at, where it’s just, like, ‘Okay, I’ll try to find other people to jam with.’ It’s exciting, I have to say.”
He noted that the sound will combine his foundational hardcore roots with the vocal techniques he has developed over the years.
“I was able to learn so much and take away so much being with Sepultura, and I will use different elements from that,” Green explained. “Then, the hardcore, of course, it’s always flowing in my blood. And then also a lot of melodical-type stuff I was doing. I felt that I’ve grown and evolved in being able to do that. So I wanna have a mix of that, and for sure have a heavy groove on whatever it is I’m gonna do in the future. So I’m looking forward to really combining all those different elements.”
No names have been attached to the lineup, and Green has not committed to a timeline.
The Final Show
Sepultura will close the book on November 7, 2026 at the Mercado Livre Arena Pacaembu in São Paulo, Brazil.
The bill reads like a career retrospective. Metal Allegiance, the rotating all-star outfit built around bassist and founder Mark Menghi, with Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater, Alex Skolnick and Chuck Billy of Testament, Phil Demmel, formerly of Machine Head, and Troy Sanders of Mastodon, is confirmed, alongside Brazilian death metal institution Krisiun and American thrashers Sacred Reich.
Former members and long-time associates are also expected to appear, among them drummer Jean Dolabella and guitarist Jairo Guedz, whose tenure preceded Kisser‘s arrival.
Until then, Green says the day job comes first, the new band waits in the wings while there are still shows to play.
