Jason Rainey

At the beginning of 2018, Sacred Reich composed new songs for a new album planned for 2019, but they reportedly parted ways once again with their original drummer Greg Hall. In late 2018, the band announced the return of Dave McClain behind the kit. The drummer had left Machine Head in October of the same year, after 23 years in the Oakland band. In January 2019, Sacred Reich unveiled a video in their studio showing them rehearsing with Dave McClain on drums: the band announced in the same breath the release of an album during 2019. This new album, titled Awakening, came out on 23 August 2019, 23 years after their previous release7. In February 2019, Jason Rainey was forced to leave the band for health reasons. He died on 16 March 2020 of a heart attack.