Doc Coyle, the co-founding guitarist of New Jersey’s now-deceased God Forbid, shared his thoughts on the recent break-ups of Bleeding Through, Shadows Fall, and recently Chimaira via his Rebel Noise blog. He includes God Forbid in what he calls the “Big 4 of Quitters,” a tongue in cheek reference to these once mighty metal bands calling it a day.
“Hearing that these great bands are moving on makes me sad and disappointed, but not shocked. The truth is that amongst peers a good majority of our conversations have to do with figuring out how to stay relevant by finding new audiences, getting great tours, signing with the right label, writing the next game changing album, and more. Teetering on the edge of existence has been much of our collective realities for half of our careers.”
Coyle goes on to explain the challenges, risks, and obstacles that each band endured, and shares some of the conversations he had with Jamey Jasta of Hatebreed and John Boeklin of Devildriver.
“You have to be crazy to want to live as an artist or performer. Guilty as charged,” continues Coyle. “I’ve risked my youth, financial well being, relationships, and any sense of normalcy. I can’t explain the compulsion, but everyone isn’t built like me. If it doesn’t work out soon enough, I guess I’ll have to face reality as well.” He even brings up the fact that maybe his band wasn’t good enough, and not in a bad way, just that there’s only one Google, one Amazon and one Walmart. “People just don’t have time in the day to spend on the 8th best Metalcore band,” he writes.
Doc Coyle left God Forbid in August of 2013, after recording Equilibrium, the band’s last album, in 2012. Coyle explained that his brother Dallas leaving in early 2009, and that year’s mismanaged Mayhem Festival tour run were the beginning of the end for the band. The whole article is a level-headed take on the state of the metal industry from someone that’s been in the trenches of it, and is must-read for fans of not only God Forbid, but for anyone that’s supported metal bands from the last decade.
