After a 15-year absence, Bay Area thrash veterans FORBIDDEN have risen from the sonic crypt to remind the world they never really left our playlists. Their brand-new single “Divided By Zero” has dropped like a concrete slab onto the metal world — heavy, sharp, and not here to make friends with the algorithms.
Released without a label, without PR muscle, and without so much as a “Hey, check this out” from a corporate Spotify email, “Divided By Zero” has racked up over 50,000 YouTube plays in less than a week. Not bad for a band whose last new track came out before TikTok existed — or before anyone admitted to liking nu-metal again.
But this isn’t some nostalgia cash grab. FORBIDDEN’s new lineup is equal parts old-school and fresh blood, with founding guitarist Craig Locicero and longtime bassist Matt Camacho holding it down, joined by Chris Kontos (yes, that Chris Kontos of MACHINE HEAD fame) on drums, Norman Skinner (ex-NIVIANE, IMAGIKA) on vocals, and Daniel Mongrain of VOIVOD stepping in to replace Steve Smyth on guitar.
A Little Old, A Little New, A Lot of Fire
“Divided By Zero” sounds like it was crafted in a parallel universe where thrash never gave way to trends and auto-tune is still illegal. It’s raw, untriggered, and beautifully unpolished — recorded with a similar philosophy to their 1988 debut Forbidden Evil. No studio trickery, no safety nets. Just riffs, attitude, and the occasional existential breakdown.
Lyrically, the song doesn’t mince words — or maybe it does, depending on who’s asking. The band says it tackles the erosion of civility, the weaponization of institutions, and the slow transformation of society into a horde of robots and monsters. So, basically a cheerful family anthem for 2025.
The music video, crafted by Ethan Renoe at Crumb Hill, adds an extra layer of dystopian spice. Think: Orwell meets Bay Area pit energy, with a visual reminder that we’re all one bad headline away from snapping. And maybe already did.
Norm Skinner’s Mission: Channel Russ, But Make It Evil
Vocalist Norman Skinner had the unenviable task of stepping into Russ Anderson’s shoes — shoes made of broken glass, steel, and high notes. But Norm’s approach is more “respect the past, don’t impersonate it.” He’s brought his own power-metal-infused style to the mix, while making sure to sprinkle in those classic phrasing choices and piercing highs that diehards expect.
“I sing a lot of happy chords,” he recently confessed in an interview, with the same tone a dog might use after accidentally eating an entire ham. But don’t worry — he’s now actively trying to sound more evil, because this is FORBIDDEN, not a Broadway reboot.
Skinner describes the new material as sitting somewhere between the ferocious polish of Omega Wave (2010) and the surgical thrash of Twisted Into Form (1990). And if you’re wondering if that’s a good place to be — it absolutely is.
No Label, No Problem
In a recent Facebook post, Craig Locicero spelled it out loud and clear: this is a DIY operation. “No label or any advertising whatsoever,” he said. Just word of mouth — plus a loyal fanbase that somehow still remembers their login to YouTube — has pushed the track to playlist adds on Liquid Metal, Apple Music, and Spotify.
But Craig isn’t pretending they’re doing it totally alone. There’s a hardworking internal team. There are believers. And, most importantly, there are the fans, now blasting “Divided By Zero” on endless loop and giving the algorithm a reason to respect thrash metal again.
Celebrating 40 Years of Twisted Evil
If you need to see FORBIDDEN live to believe they’re truly back, mark your calendar. The band plays the Teragram Ballroom in Los Angeles on July 25 with cult favorites NASTY SAVAGE, and then they head to Europe, kicking things off at Wacken Open Air on August 1.
The “40 Years of Twisted Evil” tour celebrates four decades of defiance, riffage, and the kind of lyrics your parents definitely didn’t understand. It also marks the 35th anniversary of Twisted Into Form, which is as good a reason as any to dust off that Combat Records hoodie.
FORBIDDEN are back — not as a nostalgia act, but as a forward-thinking thrash machine that knows exactly what made them special in the first place. No label. No filters. Just loud, fast, smart metal with something to say. And if you’re not listening yet, well… maybe you have been divided by zero.
