Acid Bath's Sammy Duet (Goatwhore) explains how the group reunited

Acid Bath/Goatwhore guitarist Sammy Duet has shed light on what led to Acid Bath's highly anticipated reunion after nearly three decades. Announced in October, the Louisiana sludge metal pioneers are slated for next year's Sick New World* (which may not happen, see below) and Sonic Temple Art + Music Festival, marking their first performances in 28 years.

The reunion will feature vocalist Dax Riggs, guitarist/vocalist Sammy Duet, and guitarist/vocalist Mike Sanchez, joined by Duet's Goatwhore bandmate drummer Zack Simmons and bassist Alex Bergeron (ex-Agents Of Oblivion).

According to Duet, the decision to revive the band was influenced by the death of former Acid Bath keyboardist Tomas Viator this past spring. Viator, who played with the group from 1996-1997, was also known for his work with Disincarnate and others.

Duet shared the following (originally transcribed by ThePRP):

What happened was 'Sick New World' contacted, my… well, Goatwhore booking agent, Dan Rozenblum, and was like, 'So what would it take to make this happen?' And we had recently had a passing of a very good friend of ours that was playing keyboards for us on the 'Pagan Terrorism Tactics' tour.

His name was Tommy Viator — better known as Tomas. And I think that had a big role to play in the situation, to where, you know, a lot of us aren't going to be around forever, right?

So… I had spoken to Dax about this, when we were talking about getting it back together, and I was like, you know, we need to do this before…. I didn't put it that way, but I just kind of hinted. And he was like, 'maybe it's time.' And that's how this whole thing kind of came into play.

Regarding Acid Bath's future, additional shows may be in the pipeline, though the band has yet to confirm or discuss them publicly. When asked about the possibility of new material, Duet made it clear that even if the current lineup were to record together, it would not be released under the Acid Bath name.

* = Recent rumblings about Sick New World not happening this year have started to become louder, with Tomahawk's Trevor Dunn seemingly spilling the beans that the fest will not happen this year. Read more on that here.