DAVID VINCENT Reflects On Fan Expectations: 'Nobody Cares About The New Stuff'

Summary

• David Vincent unsure if fans want new I Am Morbid music, calls it a ’legacy project’ focused on classic Morbid Angel material.
• Band lineup includes Pedro Sandoval, Richie Brown, and Bill Hudson, with recent member changes after Kelly McLauchlin’s exit.
• Vincent rejects financial pressure to record new songs, insisting on artistic integrity over commercial offers.

David Vincent, the former Morbid Angel frontman, isn’t exactly rushing to crank out new material with I Am Morbid. In a recent sit-down with Altars Of Metal, the inevitable question popped up: will I Am Morbid ever release original songs? His answer? A hesitant maybe at best.

Vincent admitted, “We’ve talked about it. I’ve got songs. I just don’t know if anybody would care.” The concern is simple. Anything new would get shoved right up against the legendary Morbid Angel catalog, a comparison that’s basically asking for a headache.

Time has done what time always does. People grow, tastes shift, and what made sense creatively in the 1980s isn’t exactly where Vincent finds himself today. He sees music as a mirror, one that reflects the present. And his present isn’t screaming for a sequel to “Blessed Are The Sick” or “Covenant”.

When the interviewer suggested that new I Am Morbid material would reflect his current headspace rather than rehashing the old magic, Vincent wasn’t exactly convinced. He called the whole thing a “legacy project”, emphasizing that nostalgia is what fans show up for. Bands like Iron Maiden can drop new albums, polish them to death, but in the end, people still scream for “Wrathchild” and “Flight Of Icarus” every night. The newer stuff? It usually gets politely ignored.

The conversation eventually veered into Metallica territory. While that band manages to balance new material with classic staples, Vincent pointed out one key difference: Metallica has stayed a relatively stable unit for decades. That consistency allows them to evolve gradually. I Am Morbid doesn’t have that luxury. It’s been years since those classic Morbid Angel records, and starting fresh without that steady timeline makes things… complicated.

He got blunt, saying he refuses to write anything just because fans expect it. “I’m a rebel. Always have been. If people expect me to do something, that’s a perfect reason not to do it,” he declared. Forcing music out of obligation? Not happening.

The door isn’t locked, though. There’s always that chance I Am Morbid might drop new songs someday. But for now, Vincent is happy to leave it as “we’ll see.”

As for why I Am Morbid even exists? According to Vincent, it’s all about keeping the music alive. He sees the albums he recorded with Morbid Angel as his “children”, and performing them keeps that legacy breathing. Judging by the audience reactions, fans seem to agree.

The current lineup includes Pedro “Pete” Sandoval behind the drums, with guitarists Richie Brown and Bill Hudson filling out the sound. Brown officially joined in late 2022, replacing Kelly McLauchlin, and made his live debut at Grita Fest in Colombia. The reunion of Vincent and Sandoval in 2022 marked the first time they played together in twelve years.

Sandoval’s personal journey added more layers to the band’s complicated history. After back surgery in 2010, he left Morbid Angel and embraced life as a born-again Christian. That spiritual turn essentially made future collaboration impossible, as Vincent once told Invisible Oranges. Since then, Sandoval kept busy with Terrorizer, dropping the album “Caustic Attack” in 2018.

This isn’t the first time Vincent has been on the fence about new material. In a March 2024 chat with The Metal Meltdown, he admitted wrestling with the weight of expectations. Some days he feels creative, others he compares it to fine wine that gets better with age. “There’s beauty in the age of it,” he said.

He also mentioned that financial offers to create new music have come his way, some of them significant. Still, he insists money isn’t the deciding factor. “My artistic needs outweigh any greed,” he explained. If the art doesn’t feel pure, he’s not interested.

Vincent’s split from Morbid Angel in 2015 paved the way for Steve Tucker to return, reclaiming bass and vocal duties. Tucker previously handled vocals on albums like “Formulas Fatal To The Flesh”, “Gateways To Annihilation”, and “Heretic.”

Of course, not everyone is thrilled with Vincent performing Morbid Angel’s classic material without the original lineup. His response? He doesn’t lose sleep over it. He referenced Ozzy Osbourne playing “Paranoid” nightly despite not writing it, whereas Vincent wrote the songs he’s singing. The criticism simply rolls off. “I don’t have that kind of negativity in my life,” he said.

Outside of I Am Morbid, Vincent has kept busy. In 2019, he teamed up with Rune Eriksen (ex-Mayhem) and Flo Mounier (Cryptopsy) to form Vltimas, releasing “Something Wicked Marches In.” Their follow-up, “Epic,” landed in 2024. And just to confuse anyone keeping genre scorecards, he also dipped into country music with his 2017 single “Drinkin’ With The Devil.”

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