Album Rating: 4.5

Oh dang, he's actually gone now? That sucks. Though I saw them live in Seattle a little while back and their stand-in did a fantastic job. The whole band kills it live; one of the best performances I've had the privilege of seeing in person.

Album Rating: 4.5

not to gossipmonger (but nonetheless i will 😎) but i did see these guys recently and honestly it seemed like xen and charles tim were at odds with each other, from body language to charles tim's lil cheeky potshots. even at the end of the set the whole band came back out to perform one last song and xen was the only one that didn't really bother

so kinda like the drummer leaving king gizz i found this news unsurprising

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

The stand in guy is now their vocalist as well. I think everyone still gets along really well its just Xen realised that its time for him to move on and he cant keep doing the amount of tours NeO does

Album Rating: 4.0

I respect it. cash your chips while it's all still good. we'll undoubtedly see more cool stuff from both.

Album Rating: 4.5

I read their Instagram announcement a little bit ago today; seems like a very respectful and amicable departure. You love to see it (instead of some dumb ass drama)

"Creativity keeps me breathing, the stage lights do not"

“My drive has always been first and foremost for the creative process of art, music, writing, and everything behind the scenes rather than being in the limelight every night”

Maybe I’m just reading into it too much but I feel like there’s the tiniest bit of shade in these comments

Album Rating: 4.5

If so it kinda seems silly, nothing wrong with wanting to tour or not wanting to tour - just a different way of living your life

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

Tim also made a long insta post saying how much he loved and appreciated Xen and their journey together with the band. There is no shade or drama, Xen is a very reserved, quiet guy who also had issues with people messaging him on social media to the point he nuked them all.



Melbourne was the worst hit place in Aus with covid, the band had issues during covid with Dan. Combine all of that isolation and tension together and ofc your already reserved introverted self is going to find it hard as fuck to get up on a stage night after night to perform.



This is just Xen/Marc putting himself first and not putting himself through something that he found difficult being on stage infront of people. There is not drama stop looking for it. The only drama llama in the band is behind the drumkit atm

Album Rating: 4.5

Interested what the drama is with the drummer haha, can't seem to find much from a quick google

The older the get the more I really understand not wanting to be on the road every few months. Good for this dude.

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

He chucked a fit because the band didnt want to do record Exul stuff during covid even after Dan got qualifications to permit them to do it safely under the covid regs. Eventually it hit the point he left the band but he came back.

he also said the band was grifting their fans for money by having a Patreon but I'd bet he doesn't repeat that now

I will never understand the hatred that gets directed at bands that have a Patreon. Do you guys remember when Allegaeon made a Patreon years ago and there was like a "huge" controversy over it lmao

Music is already an insanely hard business to make it in and extreme metal is obviously even harder. Like why wouldn't you, as a metal band, have a way for fans to directly contribute to you. It'd be like going to a gun fight with a pocket knife AND tying one hand behind your back

Album Rating: 3.0

because there have been plenty of bands who started a fund me campaign and then disappeared with the money

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

Also Wintersun i think that spells it out enough

Album Rating: 4.0

in 2013 I threw like $100 at NeOb's Kickstarter, for which I received hand-written lyrics to my favorite song, signed and wax-sealed by Xen. I framed them with the envelope addressed to me and it's one of my most cherished possessions.

Album Rating: 4.5

"because there have been plenty of bands who started a fund me campaign and then disappeared with the money"



Absolutely not a reason to fault bands for looking for any and all ways to support themselves. If there's anything they can monetize and fans are willing to pay for, they should do it. It's entirely on the fans if they want to take the risk and whom they choose to trust. Getting up in arms at a band for simply trying to have one is insane doodoo ass behavior, there's plenty of cases where bands are actually providing content in exchange for the money they're getting. If you pay for a month of some band's patreon and realize it's not really worth it, just stop paying. If you pay a shitton of money into a kickstarter for a band you don't really personally know the members of or know anything about, you're kind of dumb sry sweaty.



Old man yelling at cloud here but streaming generation has created a lot of product sponge shitbaby cunts and artists deserve to make a living.

"Music is already an insanely hard business to make it in and extreme metal is obviously even harder. Like why wouldn't you, as a metal band, have a way for fans to directly contribute to you. It'd be like going to a gun fight with a pocket knife AND tying one hand behind your back" exactlyyy

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Finally going to see these guys live in May, cannot wait!

Album Rating: 4.0

still butthurt that mods deleted my soundoff