Chris Goss Refuses to Let Sciatic Pain Derail Masters of Reality’s Comeback
Chris Goss, the enigmatic frontman of Masters of Reality, is back on stage—and he’s not letting a debilitating spinal nerve problem keep him from doing what he loves. In a recent interview with the Neil Jones Rock Show on TotalRock, Goss opened up about the chronic sciatic nerve issue that has left him performing seated during the band’s ongoing European tour.
“I was doing great until a few weeks ago,” Goss shared. “It’s a spinal nerve problem, a sciatic problem, and at times it’s misery. But it’s not gonna stop me from playing.”
And he’s proving that. Just weeks after the release of The Archer—Masters of Reality’s first album in 16 years—Goss is hitting stages across Europe, pain or no pain. The album dropped digitally on March 28 and physically on April 11 through Mascot Records. It’s a powerful return that includes the work of guitarist Alain Johannes, drummer John Leamy, and bassist Paul Powell.
Known for his genre-blending sensibilities and masterful production work with the likes of Queens of the Stone Age, KYUSS, and Mark Lanegan, Goss continues to be one of the most influential figures in modern rock. And he’s not just resurrecting his band’s legacy—he’s evolving it.
With The Archer, Goss intentionally pivots from the heavy, fuzzed-out riffing that defined desert and stoner rock. “This album intentionally broke away from the heavier riff rock that we dominated for over three decades,” he explained. “Blues isn’t a three-chord riff progression. It’s life itself.”
That ethos pulses through the record’s lead single “Sugar,” which marked the band’s first new release in 15 years. Lyrically, The Archer explores faceless figures and fleeting moments—those anonymous souls we pass on life’s highway, all enduring their own Gethsemane.
Painful as Goss’s current reality may be, he’s clearly not ready to stop. And for fans of Masters of Reality, that’s something worth cheering for.
