FORBIDDEN will head into their autumn 2026 U.S. tour with a temporarily altered rhythm section, as longtime bassist Matt Camacho and drummer Chris Kontos are both set to sit out the run for personal reasons. The Bay Area thrash veterans have stressed that neither musician is leaving the band, with both expected back in the fold in 2027.
First things first:
Nobody has quit FORBIDDEN.
Because we all know exactly how quickly the metal internet can transform:
“Two musicians are missing a tour.”
into:
“THE BAND IS FALLING APART.”
That isn’t what is happening here.
Matt Camacho and Chris Kontos will simply be unable to join FORBIDDEN for the band’s upcoming American dates, with the group asking fans to respect the personal circumstances behind their absence.
And rather than cancel the tour?
FORBIDDEN have called in reinforcements.
🖤 Personal Reasons Behind The Absences
FORBIDDEN have explained that both Camacho and Kontos have personal reasons preventing them from making the forthcoming trip.
The band have deliberately avoided going into unnecessary detail and have asked fans to offer the musicians the same privacy and understanding that the rest of the group are giving them.
That’s really all anybody needs to know.
Not every absence needs an internet investigation.
Sometimes life happens.
The important news is that both musicians remain members of FORBIDDEN.
🤘 Both Are Expected Back In 2027
Perhaps the biggest reassurance for fans is that Camacho and Kontos are already expected to return.
FORBIDDEN have major touring plans for 2027, when the band will continue supporting their long-awaited new album.
And both Matt and Chris contributed to that record.
So this is very much:
“See you next year.”
Rather than:
“Thanks for everything.”
Quite an important distinction.
🎸 Avery Thurman Steps In On Bass
Handling bass duties during the tour will be Avery Thurman of BLIND ILLUSION.
And apparently FORBIDDEN aren’t particularly interested in choosing the safe option.
Thurman is a young player already developing a formidable reputation for technical ability and energetic performances.
Coming into an established thrash band isn’t simply a matter of learning where the notes go.
FORBIDDEN’s catalogue demands precision.
Speed.
Groove.
And the ability to survive material that wasn’t written with anybody’s forearms in mind.
No pressure, Avery.
🥁 Eli Lucas Takes Over Behind The Kit
Drumming duties will meanwhile be handled by Eli Lucas.
And here’s where things become particularly interesting.
Lucas already has history with FORBIDDEN.
During the band’s search for a drummer back in 2011, Lucas came extremely close to landing the position, eventually finishing as runner-up to Sasha Horn.
At the time, his relative youth and lack of experience reportedly worked against him.
Fast-forward fifteen years?
Different story.
Lucas has since built a strong reputation within the Bay Area scene and now finally gets his opportunity behind the FORBIDDEN kit.
Sometimes the phone call just arrives fifteen years late.
🔥 The Temporary Lineup Has Already Been Rehearsing
This isn’t going to be a situation where the replacements meet everybody backstage twenty minutes before the opening night.
FORBIDDEN have already been rehearsing with Thurman and Lucas ahead of the tour.
That preparation should make an enormous difference.
Particularly because the band aren’t planning some tiny greatest-hits set containing six obvious songs and an encore.
They’re working with a much larger selection.
🎶 Around 18 Songs Are Being Prepared
FORBIDDEN have indicated that they’re preparing a pool of roughly 18 songs, allowing them to rotate material throughout the tour.
Now that is good news.
Because FORBIDDEN have enough history to make a varied set genuinely worthwhile.
Naturally, fans will want the classics.
But with new music entering the equation, there’s now another chapter to represent.
Having a larger pool means different nights could offer slightly different experiences rather than the band simply pressing play on precisely the same performance every evening.
Old-school touring behaviour.
We approve.
🇺🇸 The U.S. Tour Begins In October
The run is scheduled to begin in late October 2026, with FORBIDDEN heading across the United States alongside fellow Bay Area thrash veterans HEATHEN and rising metal outfit VOID.
That’s already an extremely healthy evening of riffs.
FORBIDDEN and HEATHEN on the same bill?
Bay Area thrash fans are basically being told:
“Wear comfortable shoes. Your neck is going to hurt tomorrow.”
Perfect.
💿 FORBIDDEN Are Entering A Huge New Chapter
The lineup adjustment comes at a particularly significant moment.
FORBIDDEN are preparing to release their first new studio album in 16 years.
That’s not simply another record arriving on schedule.
It’s a major comeback chapter for a band whose history has repeatedly stopped and restarted.
The last FORBIDDEN studio album was Omega Wave in 2010.
Sixteen years later, they’re finally moving forward again.
And importantly, Matt Camacho and Chris Kontos are both part of that new record.
⚡ Matt Camacho Missing A Tour Is Extremely Unusual
Camacho’s absence carries additional weight because of just how long he has been associated with FORBIDDEN’s live history.
He has been part of the band’s story across numerous eras, reunions and interruptions.
Missing a tour isn’t normal for him.
Which makes his decision to sit this one out something that deserves respect rather than speculation.
If somebody who has spent decades turning up suddenly says:
“I can’t make this one.”
You trust that there’s a good reason.
The gigs can continue.
Real life comes first.
🥁 Chris Kontos Brought Serious Bay Area Pedigree
Kontos joining FORBIDDEN was already an exciting development when the band returned.
He’s a drummer with a formidable history within heavy music, most famously associated with MACHINE HEAD’s early era and their landmark debut Burn My Eyes.
His arrival brought a different type of Bay Area history into FORBIDDEN.
Heavy groove.
Thrash pedigree.
Serious power.
And an understanding of exactly how aggressive music should feel from behind the kit.
His absence will inevitably alter the live dynamic temporarily, but that’s also what makes seeing Eli Lucas step in so intriguing.
🎸 FORBIDDEN Have Always Been About Serious Musicianship
FORBIDDEN occupy an interesting position within Bay Area thrash.
They never reached the commercial scale of Metallica.
They didn’t have the uninterrupted career of some contemporaries.
But among musicians and committed thrash fans?
The respect runs deep.
Their material combines aggression with technical playing and strong melodic instincts.
That makes replacing anybody in the lineup tricky.
Especially the rhythm section.
Bass and drums are where all those twisting riffs either become devastatingly tight…
or completely fall apart.
No pressure again, lads.
💀 Forbidden Evil Still Sounds Savage
The band’s 1988 debut Forbidden Evil remains one of the great cult records of Bay Area thrash.
Songs such as Chalice Of Blood helped establish FORBIDDEN as considerably more than another band riding the movement surrounding Metallica, Exodus and Testament.
They had technical ability.
Melody.
Speed.
And a darker edge that separated them from plenty of contemporaries.
Decades later, the record still gets brought up whenever people start discussing overlooked thrash classics.
And rightly so.
🔥 Twisted Into Form Raised The Bar
Then came Twisted Into Form in 1990.
For many fans, that’s the masterpiece.
The songwriting became increasingly sophisticated without sacrificing aggression.
Technicality served the songs rather than turning them into exercises.
And FORBIDDEN demonstrated that thrash could evolve beyond simply playing everything faster than the previous album.
That legacy still follows them today.
Any current lineup has to deliver those songs convincingly.
🎤 Norman Skinner Has Helped Begin A New Era
FORBIDDEN’s latest resurrection has also introduced Norman Skinner on vocals.
Replacing someone as recognisable as longtime vocalist Russ Anderson was always going to attract scrutiny.
But Skinner came into the position with an existing connection to the Bay Area scene and a genuine appreciation for FORBIDDEN’s music.
Rather than pretending it’s still 1988, the current version of the band has been building its own identity.
That’s important.
A reunion becomes far more interesting when it starts moving forwards.
🎸 Craig Locicero Remains At The Centre
Founding guitarist Craig Locicero remains the central thread connecting FORBIDDEN’s history.
From the classic albums through reunions, hiatuses and the band’s latest resurrection, Locicero has continued carrying the name forward.
And the latest era appears particularly ambitious.
New music.
Extensive touring.
A substantial U.S. run.
More international plans ahead.
FORBIDDEN aren’t simply appearing for three festival shows, playing Forbidden Evil and disappearing again.
They’re behaving like an active band.
🖤 That’s Why Temporary Means Temporary
Which brings us back to Camacho and Kontos.
Their absence matters because they’re part of this new chapter.
But everything currently points towards it being exactly what the band says:
Temporary.
Avery Thurman and Eli Lucas aren’t being presented as permanent replacements.
They’re helping keep the tour moving while two musicians deal with important matters away from the road.
That’s how bands should handle these situations.
No drama required.
🤝 The Replacements Have The Blessing Of Matt And Chris
Another encouraging detail is that the temporary lineup changes are happening with the support of Camacho and Kontos themselves.
That matters.
Nobody is being pushed aside.
Nobody appears to be involved in some mysterious internal war.
The goal is simply to allow the tour to happen while respecting the circumstances of the musicians who can’t participate.
Very sensible.
Suspiciously sensible for a thrash band.
Where’s the overturned rehearsal-room table?
⚡ HEATHEN And FORBIDDEN Together Is A Bay Area Feast
Meanwhile, the tour itself remains seriously attractive.
Putting FORBIDDEN and HEATHEN together makes perfect sense.
Both bands occupy that slightly deeper level of Bay Area thrash history.
The names every serious fan knows even if mainstream recognition never reached Metallica-sized proportions.
And honestly?
Those are often the best bills.
Crowds aren’t there because one song appeared in a television programme.
They’re there because they know the records.
They’ve been waiting.
They want riffs.
Lots of them.
🔥 2027 Already Sounds Busy
Perhaps the strongest indication that nobody should read too much into this temporary change is FORBIDDEN’s talk of a full touring schedule in 2027.
The forthcoming album gives them a proper reason to hit the road aggressively.
And the plan is for Camacho and Kontos to be part of that.
So rather than seeing the autumn tour as something going wrong, it probably makes more sense to see it as the band adapting.
Two members can’t travel.
Two excellent musicians step in.
Tour continues.
Original members return when circumstances allow.
Simple.
🤘 THE RIFF REPORT VERDICT
FORBIDDEN fans can put away the emergency sirens.
Matt Camacho and Chris Kontos are not leaving the band.
Both will sit out the forthcoming autumn U.S. tour for personal reasons, and both are expected back when FORBIDDEN’s 2027 touring campaign begins.
In the meantime, the band have recruited two seriously interesting temporary additions.
Avery Thurman brings youthful energy and technical bass ability from BLIND ILLUSION.
Eli Lucas finally gets his opportunity with FORBIDDEN after coming agonisingly close to landing the drum position back in 2011.
And with an 18-song pool being prepared for a tour alongside HEATHEN and VOID?
This hardly sounds like a band limping towards the road.
It sounds like FORBIDDEN adapting and getting on with business.
Most importantly, Matt and Chris get the space they need.
The band gets to tour.
The fans get FORBIDDEN.
And 2027 should bring the full lineup back together.
Temporary changes. Permanent thrash. ⚡🔥🤘
