Decapitated Returning With New Members

It was nearly two years ago that an accident in Belarus left Polish death metal three-piece Decapitated in ruins. The crash left frontman Adrian 'Covan' Kowanek with life-altering injuries and killed 23-year-old drummer Witold 'Vitek' Kieltyka. But now, guitarist Wacek 'Vogg' Kieltyka, the sole remaining founding member of the band, has announced the long-awaited return of Decapitated.

"After a two-year break, Decapitated is coming back with new members," he says in a statement. Those new members will be unveiled in late December.

"As you all know, the decision to continue the band was really, really hard for me, but everything I do now is to keep Decapitated alive," Vogg explains. "Covan's situation has not improved much, and he is still in bed and unable to function on his own. He still fights to recover as we speak, and we are all still 100 percent behind him and hope for the best. It has been the hardest thing for me to move on without [my brother] Vitek by my side, but he would have wanted me to continue with the band."

According to Vogg, he's found "some great musicians who can continue the work of Vitek and Covan." The band is slated to perform its first spate of reunion gigs in the spring, and plan on playing North American shows this summer. After that, "the band will concentrate on the making of a new album."

For now, Decapitated only have shows booked in Australia, New Zealand and Europe. The band's last album, 'Organic Hallucinosis,' was released in 2006.