OSLO, NORWAY – JUNE 27: (L-RF) Paulp Jr., Greyson Nekrutman, Derrick Green and Andreas Kisser from Sepultura perform on stage during the Tons of Rock festival at Eikebergsletta on June 27, 2026 in Oslo, Norway. (Photo by Per Ole Hagen/Redferns)
Redferns
There was a lot to love about Sepultura’s final EU outing hosted at Dublin, Ireland’s 3Arena. The Brazilian metal outfit headlined what felt like a small-festival of featured legacy and young talented acts. Whether it was the hardcore icons Biohazard or the exciting death metal crew Crypta, each of the opening acts felt perfectly in tune with the different shades of sonic aggression that Sepultura has painted with for over 40 years. Moreover, for a band that’s well into their farewell tour, Sepultura didn’t perform like they were running on fumes or ready to throw in the towel.
Sepultura’s Performance Was Topnotch
One would be hard pressed to find another metal band from the mid 80s’ that’s putting on as air-tight of a live performance as the current lineup of Sepultura is. It most certainly helps that the band recruited drum prodigy Greyson Nekrutman before embarking on their farewell tour. Nekrutman’s tenacity behind the kit and his confidence with every era of the band’s material elevated the entire performance and showcased the band playing with a chemistry that few legacy bands manage to ever reach.
Longtime guitarist Andreas Kisser also stood out for his notably laser focused precision on guitar, especially on the band’s older thrash material like “Inner Self,” “Desperate Cry” and “Escape to the Void” off 1987’s Schizophrenia. Kisser has always showcased himself as a versatile musician which was apparent from the wide range of material the band performed, particularly on their exceptional 2026 EP The Cloud Of Unknowing.
While Sepultura exceedingly delivered from a performance standpoint, they couldn’t help but lessen the impact of their final EU show with their perplexing use of what looked like poorly generated AI or AI enhanced video content throughout the majority of their set.
Addressing The Robot In The Pit
Sepultura’s music has shaped and influenced many of metal and hardcore music’s most notable bands. Given their formidable reputation, it was puzzling and disappointing to see a band that’s so seminal and appreciated in today’s scene finish off their legacy with what looked like AI generated visuals. It didn’t enhance the band’s otherwise stupendously tight performance, in fact it only took the wind out of their sails for how distractingly flat and often inappropriate the content looked.
For instance, it felt painfully ironic when the band charged into their masterful protest anthem “Refuse/Resist,” only to then showcase a montage of hollow protestors robotically pumping their fists and expressing their ire at the system.
Sepultura Performing At 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland August 9th, 2026
Quentin Thane Singer
To make matters more confusing, the was a select number of songs where the band did use handcrafted footage from either music videos, or a collection of old tour flyers, or a simple live camera feed of them on stage. This direction worked perfectly. It kept the focus on the music and the band’s performance, and it’s a shame the band didn’t just stick with this direction for the whole show.
Bottom Line
Sepultura will forever be one of the of most seminal and formidable bands in heavy music. Despite the fact it feels odd to see Sepultura end without its founding members Max and Igor Cavalera, Sepultura’s current and longstanding lineup has continued to perform exceptionally well. While the performance was rock solid, it was disappointing and puzzling to see the band use what looked like AI generated video production. The genres that Sepultura caters to have long valued hand crafted art, as have the fans in these communities, and Sepultura’s album artwork is among some of the most recognizable and appreciated works in heavy music, making it the more disappointing to witness. Hopefully this is not a growing trend with other high caliber acts in the genre.