Season of Mist is partnering with the musicians of SAVAGE LANDS. Through this partnership, we'll bang our heads together to support forests in Costa Rica. This is the first time a record label will be partnering & releasing the music of a non-profit organization.

*Listening to Savage Lands is already donating directly to this forest preservation effort.*

Watch the video for "The Last Howl" below.

After seeing first-hand how deforestation threatens Costa Rica's ecosystem, two angry metalheads started their own non-profit organization. Named after their joint passion for savage heavy metal and wildlife preservation, SAVAGE LANDS was founded in 2022 by Megadeth drummer Dirk Verbeuren and musician-turned-activist 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."

Today, SAVAGE LANDS are debuting their first single. "The Last Howl" features Andres Kisser (Sepultura) and John Tardy (Obituary). 100% of the song's royalties will go toward protecting threatened lands from deforestation.

Listening is already donating directly to the forest preservation effort.

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

An extra step can always be taken by directly donating to the cause through: https://savagelands.org/donation/

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." Says Sylvain. "Making 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."

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
https://savagelands.org/

Lineup
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/