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Interview – Nelson Acerbus (Semper Acerbus)

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It’s time for a nice and fun chat with the unstoppable frontman for Texas-based Metalcore band Semper Acerbus, talking about their new album, touring and more.

Nelson Acerbus (Semper Acerbus)

The Headbanging Moose: Thanks for your time, guys! Could you please start by introducing yourselves to our readers? Who are Semper Acerbus, when did the band start, and what’s the main goal with your music?

Nelson Acerbus: Hello all, this is Nelson, vocalist for Semper Acerbus, we are a metalcore band from Texas and we started in December of 2016. Our man goal is expressing ourselves in our own creative musical way and if we get followers along this journey, that a big plus!

THM: You new album Following Omens is a wild metal journey across deserts, dunes, mountains, and woodlands. Could you give u more details about the album, the whole idea behind it etc.?

NA: This album represents everything that we have embodied along our music journey, kinda letting it all out plus using things that we have not explored more in the past. More clean singing, more intricate guitar parts, odd time signatures, fun stuff like that.

THM: Some of my favorite songs of the album are Suffering Awaits, The Gallows and District Coward, and coincidentally all three are very Death Metal. Was that the intention? It feels like Semper Acerbus can be considered a Metalcore band with a strong Death Metal vein. Do you agree with that?

NA: You are absolutely right, specially Suffering Awaits, its a straight death metal song, myself and Jaime, one of our guitar players grew up listening to death metal so we love doing stuff like that.

THM: Who are your biggest idols and influences in music and in life in general, and what’s their impact on your creative process and your music?

NA: First names that comes to mind musically, Jesse Leach, Max Cavalera, Chuck Schuldiner, Michael Sweet and many more, helped shape the way I saw music, helped me embrace what I wanted to do in life.

THM: The artwork by Federico Bossinga of Abstract Chaos Design feels absolutely dark and apocalyptic, matching perfectly with your music. How did you get in touch with the artist, and how was the process to get to the final artwork?

NA: We have worked together for a long time, he always brings my ideas to life, he is a great talent. As we always do, I send him an idea, he sends back my idea as an image and then it’s a yay or nay or changes here and there.

Album Review – Semper Acerbus / Following Omens (2026)

THM: How’s the metalcore (or any other type of heavy music) scene nowadays in Del Rio, Texas? Are there any other bands from your area you would recommend to our readers?

NA: There’s no other metalcore band in Del Rio TX, we are a very small town in the middle of nowhere with a big tastes for tex-mex music and culture. We are the sore thumb lol!

THM: Now that Following Omens is out, what does the future hold for Semper Acerbus? Any plans for touring outside of the United States, like in Canada or at any European summer festival? You guys need to bring your music to Toronto for sure!

NA: We want to tour as much as possible, we have offers overseas and nationally that we want to definitely make it happen. We had a run in Canada last year that fell through so, HEY PROMOTERS! Come book us!!

Semper Acerbus

THM: Speaking of touring, which other bands would be part of your “dream tour”? And which bands have you guys had an amazing experience touring with so far?

NA: The most fun we had was touring with ASESINO and Skinlab, great dudes and we had lots of fun. Dream tour would be Killswitch Engage, Trivium, Bleed from Within and Semper Acerbus.

THM: Let’s play an easy and fun game now. Which ten songs would you add to a time capsule for future generations? It can be metal or non-metal, no problem at all.

NA:
1. Fur Elise – Betoven
2. Nessun Dorma – Pavarotti
3. Crystal Mountain – Death
4. Yahweh – By Stryper
5. Lifting Shadow of a Dream – Dream Theater
6. Arise – Sepultura
7. The Element of One – Killswitch Engage
8. Rainbow in the Dark – Dio
9. Cemetery Gates – Pantera
10. Separate Ways – Journey

THM: Thanks again for your time! Feel free to send your final considerations to our readers, and hopefully we’ll see you hitting the stages of Toronto anytime soon!

NA: Thanks for this opportunity, if you haven’t checked our music and our new album, “Following Omens” go check it out! Give us a chance! Keep it metal!

Links
Semper Acerbus Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Spotify | Linktree

Album Review – Semper Acerbus / Following Omens (2026)

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Blasting us across deserts, dunes, mountains, and woodlands, the first full-length offering by this blazing hot Texas-based Metalcore outfit goes deep and dark into the pit of our hearts.

Hailing from from the heart of Del Rio, Texas, the blazing hot Metalcore act known as Semper Acerbus (a Latin phrase that translates to “always bitter” or “always harsh”) goes straight for the jugular with their blistering third full-length album, titled Following Omens. Produced, mixed and mastered by Chris Mora (Upon a Burning Body, Kingdom Collapse), and showcasing a classy artwork by Federico Bossinga of Abstract Chaos Design (Dark Funeral, Dimmu Borgir, Old Man’s Child), the follow-up to their 2021 album Ouroboros sees the band formed of vocalist Nelson Acerbus, guitarists Jaime Vargas and Joe Dragich, bassist Sammy Farhat, and drummer Tyler Thomas deliver an explosion of sonic heaviness that thematically covers the whole of the psychological super spectrum, oftentimes all the way to the fringes where the darkness is the deepest and despair is thick as fog on old cobblestone. Lyrically, the band explores all types of toxic relationships leading to destructive aftermaths that teach us the hard lessons, the ones that change us forever.

A very Metalcore intro ignites the opening tune Suffering Awaits, exploding into a well-balanced mix of their core sound and nuances of Death Metal led by the venomous roars by Nelson. After such a demented start the band offers our avid ears Unwanted, with Tyler stealing the spotlight with his progressive, intricate drumming, whereas in One Day At A Time the title carries a deep meaning to all of us, and the band makes sure the music reflects that with its Melodic Death Metal and Metalcore riffs, background keys and anguished screams. And Jaime and Joe rev up the band’s metallic engine with their razor-edged riffs in The Gallows, inspiring us all to bang our heads nonstop to their scathing, electrifying extravaganza.

The second part of the album begins with the cinematic interlude Alluring Vendetta, warming us up for the hard hitting Archangel, where Nelson keeps vociferating rabidly from the bottom of his blackened heart accompanied by another rumbling performance by Sammy and Tyler armed with their respective bass and drums. Wounded sounds a bit generic compared to the other songs, as it doesn’t offer the same level of intricacy nor dynamism; fortunately, Torn Inside gets the band back on track with a striking blend of Progressive Metalcore spearheaded by the demolishing yet very technical drumming by Tyler, not to mention the guitars by Jaime and Joe are breathing fire. And their coup-de-grace comes in the form of District Coward, again presenting a truly menacing kitchen by Sammy and Tyler, as heavy and headbanging as it can be.

Blasting us across deserts, dunes, mountains, and woodlands, Following Omens goes deep and dark into the pit of our hearts while the band entertains themes of isolation, addiction, vendettas, and death, religion and romance, omens and ghosts. Such a must-see name of the current Metalcore scene is waiting for you on Facebook and on Instagram with news, tour dates and other nice-to-know details, and you can also stream their acid creations on YouTube and on Spotify, and purchase your copy of their excellent newborn spawn by clicking HERE or HERE. In the end, the new album by Semper Acerbus is perfect for those who want to rock out, while simultaneously important for those who need to engage in a search of the self. We dig them. We play them loud as all hell, and we’re one of them.

Best moments of the album: Suffering Awaits, The Gallows and District Coward.

Worst moments of the album: Wounded.

Released in 2026 Eclipse Records

Track listing
1. Suffering Awaits 4:11
2. Unwanted 3:22
3. One Day At A Time 4:05
4. The Gallows 3:40
5. Alluring Vendetta 1:00
6. Archangel 3:41
7. Wounded 3:37
8. Torn Inside 3:29
9. District Coward 3:51

Band members
Nelson Acerbus – vocals
Jaime Vargas – guitar
Joe Dragich – guitar
Sammy Farhat – bass
Tyler Thomas – drums