{"id":17945,"date":"2026-05-08T15:53:46","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T19:53:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/heavensmetalmagazine.com\/?p=17945"},"modified":"2026-05-08T15:54:27","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T19:54:27","slug":"steve-rowe-explains-his-mortification-absence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/heavensmetalmagazine.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/08\/steve-rowe-explains-his-mortification-absence\/","title":{"rendered":"News: Steve Rowe Explains His Absence as Mortification Returns for &#8216;Scrolls of the Megilloth&#8217; Celebration Tour"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>For longtime fans of Mortification, the announcement almost felt unreal. A commemorative Latin American tour celebrating the 35th anniversary of the legendary <em>Scrolls of the Megilloth<\/em> album. Former members from multiple eras of the band reuniting on stage. Songs that helped define Christian death metal returning to live audiences after years of silence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then came the question many fans immediately asked:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Where is Steve Rowe?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After growing speculation online surrounding the lineup announcement, Rowe himself appeared in a recent video update alongside his son Leighton to address both his health and his decision to support the upcoming tour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cMy health is reasonably good,\u201d Rowe explained in the video. \u201cI had a bone marrow transplant 30 years ago and 11 years ago I had a stroke, which means I haven\u2019t played bass for 11 years. So that means that Mortification just stopped.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>The statement brings clarity to years of uncertainty surrounding the iconic frontman, whose unmistakable bass tone, vocals, and spiritual conviction shaped Mortification from its earliest days. Rowe confirmed that while he will not perform on the tour, he fully supports the lineup and the vision behind the event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cThe idea of someone else was to put Mortification together to tour Brazil and I was supportive of that,\u201d Rowe shared. \u201cHopefully we\u2019ll go ahead as planned with Mick Jelinic, Lincoln, Jason Sherlock, and Guy from America.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-video\"><video height=\"656\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 368 \/ 656;\" width=\"368\" controls src=\"https:\/\/heavensmetalmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/steve-row-scrolls-update.mp4\"><\/video><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The touring lineup represents multiple eras of Mortification\u2019s history, including drummer Jayson Sherlock, guitarist Lincoln Bowen, guitarist Mick Jelinic, and Luke Renno of Crimson Thorn handling bass and vocal duties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to a recent feature published by Argentine metal outlet <a href=\"https:\/\/www.delotroladometal.com.ar\/2026\/05\/07\/mortification-in-argentina-and-latin-america\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Del Otro Lado Metal<\/a>, Jelinic confirmed that Rowe remains deeply connected to the tour despite his physical limitations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cSteve had a stroke, which he has never really recovered from,\u201d Jelinic explained. \u201cHe is now in a wheelchair and has lost the ability to play bass and to also sing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even so, Jelinic emphasized that Rowe\u2019s spirit and faith remain intact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWith all he has been through he is still strong in faith, a true inspiration.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That spirit appears central to why this tour exists at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While many reunion tours lean heavily into nostalgia, Rowe framed this event around the original mission that fueled Mortification from the beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cThe thing with Mortification was that it\u2019s always been about just proclaiming Jesus Christ as Lord and people knowing that,\u201d Rowe said. \u201cI think that in touring Brazil, Lincoln will definitely go ahead and talk about salvation through Christ and that\u2019s important.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Rowe also made it clear that fans should view this as a singular event rather than the rebirth of the band as an ongoing touring entity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cNo, Brazil will be it,\u201d he stated plainly. \u201cIt won\u2019t be anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/heavensmetalmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/mortification-live-819x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Mortification 35 Year Tribute Tour Poster 2026\" class=\"wp-image-17847\" srcset=\"https:\/\/heavensmetalmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/mortification-live-819x1024.jpg 819w, https:\/\/heavensmetalmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/mortification-live-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/heavensmetalmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/mortification-live-120x150.jpg 120w, https:\/\/heavensmetalmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/mortification-live-768x960.jpg 768w, https:\/\/heavensmetalmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/mortification-live-1024x1280.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/heavensmetalmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/mortification-live.jpg 1152w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Mortification never operated like a conventional metal band. From the earliest days of underground tape trading and controversy surrounding Christian extreme metal, the band carried an almost confrontational sense of conviction. Albums like <em>Scrolls of the Megilloth<\/em>, <em>Post Momentary Affliction<\/em>, and <em>Blood World<\/em> carved out a sound that stood shoulder-to-shoulder with secular death and thrash metal while openly proclaiming Christian faith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The upcoming tour appears positioned less as a commercial reunion and more as a celebration of legacy, survival, and proclamation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt happened so quick,\u201d Jelinic told Del Otro Lado Metal regarding the formation of the tour. \u201cBefore we knew it, the tour was happening.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Latin American run begins February 4, 2027 in Santiago, Chile before moving through Argentina, Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Brazil. Support acts include Brazilian Christian extreme metal veterans Antidemon along with Jelinic\u2019s own band Terraphobia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For many fans, the emotional center of the story remains Steve Rowe himself. A survivor of leukemia, a bone marrow transplant, and a debilitating stroke, Rowe still speaks about Mortification through the lens of faith and purpose rather than personal tragedy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m glad that the guys got together and did this,\u201d he said near the end of the interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is going to be an epic tour, so if you can make it, you definitely should.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Source: Del Otro Lado Metal<br><a href=\"https:\/\/www.delotroladometal.com.ar\/2026\/05\/07\/mortification-in-argentina-and-latin-america\/\">https:\/\/www.delotroladometal.com.ar\/2026\/05\/07\/mortification-in-argentina-and-latin-america\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For longtime fans of Mortification, the announcement almost felt unreal. A commemorative Latin American tour&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":17946,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1021,1022],"tags":[33,153,3691,3688,3687,3690,3689,3692],"class_list":["post-17945","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features-d97","category-news-d70","tag-antidemon-d7","tag-mortification-d55","tag-mortification-tour","tag-scrolls-of-the-megilloth-tour","tag-steve-rowe","tag-steve-rowe-mortification","tag-terraphobia","tag-what-happened-to-steve-rowe"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>News: Steve Rowe Explains His Absence as Mortification Returns for &#039;Scrolls of the Megilloth&#039; Celebration Tour - Heaven&#039;s Metal Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"After growing speculation online surrounding the lineup announcement, Stever Rowe gives an update on his absence from the Mortification tour.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/heavensmetalmagazine.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/08\/steve-rowe-explains-his-mortification-absence\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"News: Steve Rowe Explains His Absence as Mortification Returns for &#039;Scrolls of the Megilloth&#039; Celebration Tour - Heaven&#039;s Metal Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"After growing speculation online surrounding the lineup announcement, Stever Rowe gives an update on his absence from the Mortification tour.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/heavensmetalmagazine.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/08\/steve-rowe-explains-his-mortification-absence\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Heaven&#039;s Metal Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/HeavensMetal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/seth.metoyer.personal\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-08T19:53:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-05-08T19:54:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/heavensmetalmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/scrolls-tour.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1536\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Seth Metoyer\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@sethmetoyer\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Seth Metoyer\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/heavensmetalmagazine.com\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/08\\\/steve-rowe-explains-his-mortification-absence\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/heavensmetalmagazine.com\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/08\\\/steve-rowe-explains-his-mortification-absence\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Seth Metoyer\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/heavensmetalmagazine.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b5a32a2b4aa039fc2144863b6ed3da76\"},\"headline\":\"News: Steve Rowe Explains His Absence as Mortification Returns for &#8216;Scrolls of the Megilloth&#8217; 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