Metal Shock Finland (World Assault )

Photo by Gornoss

Just a few months ago, 60,000 square feet of  rainforest along the Costa Rican coastline was going to get chopped down. Fortunately, the angry metalheads behind Savage Lands had other ideas.

Using royalties from their first-ever single, Dirk Verbeuren (Megadeth) and musician-turned-activist Sylvain Demercastel purchased an ecological easement that covers more than 90% of that endangered area. While Savage Lands doesn’t own the property, not a single tree can be cut down thanks to their purchase.

Savage Lands is a 501 (c)3 non-profit that’s co-operated by Dirk and Sylvain. Using donations, fundraising efforts and their own song royalties, they partner with other non-profits, scientists, engineers and metalheads to build nature sanctuaries, establish green zones and other land preservation projects.  

Music fans can support Savage Lands just by listening to their music. 100% of all royalties go to supporting their reforestation efforts.   

Donate: https://savagelands.org/donation/

Watch the video for “The Last Howl”, which features Andreas Kisser  (Sepultura) and John Tardy (Obituary).

Heavy metal tends to obsess over death and destruction. But thanks to Savage Lands, the genre’s heaviest hitters are banging their heads together to protect the Costa Rican rain forest.

Named after their joint passion for savage heavy metal and wildlife preservation, Savage Lands was founded in 2022 by Dirk and Sylvain Demercastel, who’s a Costa Rica resident.

“Hearing the chainsaw on a daily basis, because of a recent real estate fever destroying Costa Rica’s ecosystem, we thought it was time to start a new type of action”, says Sylvain. “We are reaching out to this great active community of metalheads.”

Plenty of big names have signed on to join the army of trees that Savage Lands is growing across Costa Rica. Along with Obituary and Sepultura, members of Heilung, Gojira, Testament and Lord of the Lost have all pledged their support. 

Season of Mist recently announced their partnership with Savage Lands. This marks the first time that  a record label has partnered and released music with a non-profit organization.

Fittingly, “The Last Howl” is a howling tribute to the howler monkey, an endangered species in Costa Rica. Verbeuren hammers out thunderous fills and pinging cymbals, while Sylvain rains down heavy pangs of distortion.

“The Last Howl” packs added fury thanks to some special guests. Sepultura guitarist Andreas Kisser rips off not one, but two acrobatic solos, and swamp king John Tardy (Obituary) unleashes his inner primate with some ferocious, spit-flinging growls.            

“When Dirk first received the instrumental demo, he immediately had John Tardy in his mind for some vocals”, Sylvain says. “He made the link between the howler monkey’s scream and the more melodic chorus of the song.

“Less than 24 hours after reaching out to John through a common friend, we received a YES from Tardy, and knew it was going to be the start of a great adventure.”

Track
1. “The Last Howl” (5:48)

Artists occasionally support causes through donations to organizations. With SAVAGE LANDS, Megadeth drummer Dirk Verbeuren teamed up with his guitar-wielding friend Sylvain Demercastel to create their own US 501(c)3 non-profit.

Savage Lands raises money for reforestation & the creation of sanctuaries free of human destruction. Using their own royalties, donations and other fundraising efforts, the organization builds nature sanctuaries, establishes green zones and other land preservation projects. They partner with other non-profits, scientists and forest engineers, as well as Decibel Magazine and Season of Mist.   

Donate: https://savagelands.org/donation/

“If you want to make a difference, take action! Our greatest hope with Savage Lands is that it will inspire you to join us, and if you can, to start your own initiative to help preserve animals, forests, and our planet”, says Dirk.

Learn more about Savage Lands at https://savagelands.org/

Stream “The Last Howl”: https://savagelands.fanlink.to/TheLastHowl

Lineupfor “The Last Howl”
Dirk Verbeuren (Megadeth) – Drums
Sylvain Demercastel – Guitar
Andreas Kisser (Sepultura) – Guitar
John Tardy (Obituary) – Vocals
Poun (Black Bomb A) – Vocals
Etienne Treton (Black Bomb A) – Bass

Recording
Savage Lands / Adair Daufembach / John Tardy / Andreas Kisser / Steeven Corsini

Production
Savage Lands

Mixing & Mastering
HK – Vamacara Studio

Donate: https://savagelands.org/donation/