Just a few months ago, 60,000 square feet of rainforest along the Costa Rican coastline was going to get chopped down. Fortunately, the angry metalheads behind Savage Lands had other ideas.
Using royalties from their first-ever single, Dirk Verbeuren (Megadeth) and musician-turned-activist Sylvain Demercastel purchased an ecological easement that covers more than 90% of that endangered area. While Savage Lands doesn’t own the property, not a single tree can be cut down thanks to their purchase.
Savage Lands is a 501 (c)3 non-profit that’s co-operated by Dirk and Sylvain. Using donations, fundraising efforts and their own song royalties, they partner with other non-profits, scientists, engineers and metalheads to build nature sanctuaries, establish green zones and other land preservation projects.
Named after their joint passion for savage heavy metal and wildlife preservation, Savage Lands was founded in 2022 by Dirk and Sylvain Demercastel, who’s a Costa Rica resident.
Music fans can support Savage Lands just by listening to their music. 100% of all royalties go to supporting their reforestation efforts. Watch the video for “The Last Howl”, which features Andreas Kisser (Sepultura) and John Tardy (Obituary).
Season of Mist recently announced their partnership with Savage Lands, marking the first time that has partnered and released music with a non-profit organization.