Infected Rain starts their Mutation Phase 2026 Tour in Lubbock

Infected Rain started out with their new tour, “Mutation Phase,” in the U.S. in 2026, starting in Lubbock, Texas, with Stitched Up Heart and two local bands Relinquish The Crown and Element of Nexus. They all performed in Jake’s Backroom, and the show was more than fantastic. It was the first time being there, and I feel it will not be my last, even if it was over four hours away.

Relinquish The Crown and Element of Nexus, the local bands that opened were fantastic. If this is the level of bands coming from Lubbock, we need to watch out; they both brought the music to the stage and were great openers for a crazy, fun night.

Relinquish The Crown

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61584101484045

Element of Nexus

https://www.facebook.com/elementofnexus

Next was Stitched Up Heart. I captured them last year and really enjoyed their music, but struggled under the usual lighting, so when I heard they were performing on the Infected Rain tour, I was all in. The band is from Los Angeles and has been together since 2010, and they have a great mix of alternative gothic metal sound. They hit the stage and warmed up everyone in the house. From dancing and starting to mosh pits during the show, they make sure the crowd does not fall asleep on them.

Alecia “Mixi” Demner, vocalist and creator of the band, has put together a great group with killer guitar riffs from Merritt Goodwin and Randy Mathias ripping it on the bass while drummer Delaney Jaster keeps the drive going with heart-pounding beats. They have a great mix from this week to when I heard them last year, which was and is fabulous. They started their show with a song they released last year, “Sick SicK Sick,” followed by “To the Wolves,” a song released in 2023 on the album by the same name. Then they performed “Possess Me” also off the To the Wolves album. By the end of their show, they performed two classic Stitched Up Heart singles, “Finally Free” and “Monster.”

If you want to know more, follow these links:

https://stitchedupheart.org

https://www.facebook.com/StitchedUpHeartRock

https://www.instagram.com/stitchedupheart

Infected Rain formed in Moldova in 2008 by Elena “Lena Scissorhands” Cataraga, guitarist Vadim “Vidick” Ojog, and disc jockey Ivan Kristioglo a.k.a. DJ Kapa, but DJ Kapa left the band in 2010 due to lineup changes. The current lineup is Lena, Vidick, Eugen Voluta, the drummer, and, in 2023, they introduced Alice Lane as their bassist.

They have released five albums since 2011; their latest release was in 2024, Time.

As the show started, the two large video screens flashed words and images as music played in the background, the band stepped on stage, and the full room of fans cheered and yelled out as Lena entered the stage. The lights came up, and they opened the show with “Mutation Phase,” a song that has never been recorded; it has only been performed live. The next song was “The Answer Is You” and then “Dying Light,” both from their 2024 album Time. From that point on, Infected Rain took us on a tour of selections of songs from various albums in their arsenal. They wrapped up the latter part of the show with songs from the Time album. Their final song was the first video they made in 2010, “Judgement Trap.”

When I first captured Infected Rain, it was in 2021. I was so impressed that I started following them. Then, in 2023, I captured them for the publication, and now here in 2026. They have completely blown me away ever since then. If you are ready to be blown away, follow these links: