Former Morbid Angel drummer Pedro ‘Pete’ Sandoval has announced his departure from I Am Morbid, sharing the news in a statement on Instagram.
In his statement, Sandoval explained his decision to leave the band, addressing his health struggles during their last tour and a lack of connection with the setlist.
“Hey friends, I will not be part of this upcoming tour, and I am no longer part of I Am Morbid,” Sandoval said. “During my last tour with the band, I went through a lot. I became very sick with the flu and I wasn’t physically at my best, but that is not the reason for my decision.”
He went on to discuss his musical legacy and how he felt about the material the band was performing.
“The truth is that, for some time now, I haven’t been feeling the same connection with these songs anymore,” he continued. “I Am Morbid has focused on the material from Altars of Madness through Domination. I am very proud of those records and everything I created and contributed to during those years, but my history with Morbid Angel continued far beyond Domination. There is a much larger part of my musical legacy that I haven’t been able to represent with I Am Morbid.”
Sandoval also expressed gratitude to his former bandmates and fans while looking toward the future.
“I feel that I’ve given the fans everything I could through I Am Morbid over these past years, and now I need to take a break from this chapter and move forward,” he added. “I have a lot of respect for Richie and Bill and their work, and I’m grateful for the time we spent playing together—especially on that last tour, when I was going through such a difficult time physically and wasn’t at my best.”
He concluded by thanking his supporters and clarifying his absence from the upcoming European tour.
“Most importantly, thank you to everyone who has been messaging me, sending me love, and telling me you’re looking forward to seeing me in Europe,” Sandoval stated. “I don’t want anyone to misunderstand the upcoming tour or expect me to be there when I won’t be. You will see me again—just under different circumstances. For now, this is all I want to say. Thank you for all the years of support, love and respect.”
This announcement marks the end of Sandoval’s four-year run with I Am Morbid. The departure also closes a chapter that stretches back to the project’s founding, when the drummer reunited with former Morbid Angel bandmate David Vincent to revisit the band’s earliest and most influential records.
I Am Morbid was formed by former Morbid Angel members David Vincent and Pete Sandoval, with guitarist Bill Hudson, and the project’s setlist has always focused on the classic early era of Morbid Angel. The band is led by Vincent and Sandoval and draws specifically on the material from Altars of Madness (1989), Blessed Are the Sick (1991), Covenant (1993), and Domination (1995). This narrow focus on the first four albums is precisely the limitation Sandoval pointed to in his statement, noting that his own history with Morbid Angel extended well beyond that period.
Sandoval’s time behind the kit for Morbid Angel was itself defined by physical setbacks. The drummer, who now lives his life as a born-again Christian, was forced to leave Morbid Angel in 2010 after undergoing surgery for a prolapsed disc. He had recorded the band’s landmark debut, 1989’s Altars of Madness, after first performing on two demos and a split album with his original band, Terrorizer.
Sandoval has previously spoken about the circumstances of that earlier exit and pushed back on speculation about his reasons for leaving. According to Rock Celebrities, he said, “I left once, in 2010, due to my back surgery,” adding, “That was the only departure.” He explained that the real reason he did not rejoin later, when he was invited back, was simpler and more personal: “I wasn’t physically or mentally ready to play the songs at the level I expect from myself.”
His latest departure appears to have unfolded without bad blood between the parties. Sandoval clarified in a follow-up statement that he had told the band before the announcement, and he stressed that there was “no bad blood” with his bandmates. He also indicated that he would still be happy to work with Richie Brown and Bill Hudson in the future.
The timing of the announcement coincided with I Am Morbid’s upcoming European run. The band was set for a headlining trek across Europe and the UK this fall as part of the 2026 Morbidfest tour, joined by Atheist and Cancer. Sandoval’s statement was aimed squarely at those dates, making clear that fans should not expect to see him behind the kit when the tour begins.
This announcement marks the end of Sandoval’s four-year run with I Am Morbid. Let’s see what comes next.
