Shai Hulud (USA) Returning to Aotearoa New Zealand This Summer

Named after the awe-inspiring monolithic sandworms of Frank Herbert's Dune, it has been a two decade wait for Aotearoa fans of US metalcore instigators Shai Hulud. Exploding out of Pompano Beach, Florida in 1995 and still helmed by founding guitarist Matt Fox, Shai Hulud's performance at Alabama's Furnace Fest 2024 welcomed the return to the fold of vocalist Geert van der Velde, frontman for the ever-shifting group on their Billboard charting 2003 album That Within Blood Ill-Tempered. Geert van der Velde will be on mic duties with Shai Hulud's current lineup, including veteran bassist Matt Fletcher (formerly on guitar), when they hit Te Whanganui-a-Tara's Valhalla and Tāmaki Makaurau's Whammy Bar on 15th January, as part of their career-spanning world tour. Here are the details...

Shai Hulud

Wednesday 14th January - Valhalla, Wellington
Thursday 15th January - Whammy Bar, Auckland

Tickets on sale HERE via UTR 

Watch live footage of Shai Hulud with vocalist Geert van der Velde tearing through 'Scornful of the Motives and Virtues of Others', from That Within Blood Ill-Tempered at Furnace Fest 2024...

Listen to 'Given Flight by Demon's Wings' from That Within Blood Ill-Tempered...

Press release:

Following their triumphant reunion show with former vocalist Geert van der Velde at Furnace Fest 2024, legendary American progressive metalcore band Shai Hulud is thrilled to announce their return to the road in 2025. The upcoming world tour will mark Shai Hulud’s first extended run of shows in over a decade, featuring van der Velde on vocals.

The Furnace Fest performance was a monumental moment in the band’s history, bringing together, for the first time since 2004, the full lineup that recorded the landmark 2003 album That Within Blood Ill-Tempered. For many fans, it was the first chance to see van der Velde back on the mic, and he did not disappoint. If anything, his vocals have grown stronger and even more ferocious with time, while the chemistry on stage was undeniable, a testament to the band’s enduring spirit and technical mastery. Fans and newcomers alike were left buzzing about the energy, emotion, and sheer force of the performance.

While the upcoming world tour will feature Shai Huluds current lineup, van der Velde will helm vocal duties for all shows, delivering performances that span the band’s celebrated catalog, including a spotlight on tracks from That Within Blood Ill-Tempered.

Shai Hulud is back. Stronger. Louder. And more pissed off than ever before and happy to return to Aotearoa after twenty years.