Anaal Nathrakh will continue after mulling split

On February 2, 2021, British extreme metal band Anaal Nathrakh announced that they will continue as a band playing live shows, though without instrumentalist Mick Kenney. The news was first shared on the band's official Facebook page, which stated:

"This cannot, and will not, be the end.

Following the success of the show with Sigh and De Profundis in December and, with minimal desire to gush, the response from fans, we have decided that we will keep the London live lineup together and play a limited few more shows in 2023.  There's just too much endarkenment, too much unfinished business and too much visceral thrill, both for us and hopefully for fans, not to.  As before, Mick's schedule means that he can't be there.  Though to be clear, he's completely on board with the plan.  So we will be in a situation vaguely similar to Immortal a few years ago with the live band being an extension of, but not including all of, the studio band.  Many people will not realise there's a difference.  Many others will likely not really care – OK, a 'stand in' live guitarist, that just happens sometimes, no big deal.  But we are hopeful that even those who pay closer attention will, like that generously enthusiastic crowd at Scala, understand the idea and be able to get behind the shows.  We're all only alive once.  Let's burn a measure of our passion in the Anaal Nathrakh live crucible." 

Anaal Nathrakh have been active since 1999 and have released eleven studio albums, the most recent of which, "Endarkenment," was released in 2020. The band is known for combining extreme metal with a variety of other genres, including industrial, black metal, and grind. The group also confirmed a live show at Damnation Festival on November 4 at the BEC Arena in Manchester, UK.