Who are they?

I was tempted to say Communic but they just released a new album and it sounds quite good.

Most of them. Depends on what you call Active.

Someone published some stats once that showed MA has something like 40,000 bands listed as "active" even though they haven't released anything in many years. But maybe they're still playing together. Not everybody records every little thing they do.

But there are lots that are probably actually Inactive at least. Take Shear. Their Facebook & Twitter accounts have had no activity for years. Their official site same. Singer Alexa Leroux apparently has a cozy job as a festival coordinator or something now.

Might they get together again and produce something new? Maybe. I hope so.

Necrophagist surely? Muhammed Sucimez just dropped completely out of the scene, despite having material ready, and has never made any statement about the band breaking up.

I mean everyone says he's an engineer for BMW now but I've never seen that confirmed.

Evereve...not a single word since 2005.

Haven't heard much out of Aeon since 2015.

Lazarus AD wasn't doing much either until their drummer passed away then they mentioned the band was done.

Forgot one: Shadow, an awesome Japanese melodeath band. Released one brilliant album in 2001, nothing after that, everyone assumed disbanded, came back with a second album in 2008, and nothing since. Hasn't gigged since 2006, was down to three members.

A real pity. That first album was brilliance.

It's something that annoys me. If I had a band that had people checking out the official outlets for info, I would make some statement like "The band is on ice for the moment, nothing new in the works." Or something like that.

Thorns and Antestor first came to my mind. Never heard any such news from these bands.

I have a feeling this is how Deathspell Omega is going to do it, if they haven't already.

this is one i've just noticed and i can't find any information about it, but Howls of Ebb is listed as split up and i can't find a single reason why, loved that weird shit.

This is the best example, simply because we've had TWO posts from the official Facebook this year and they weren't about a new album.

Antestor are still kind of around, and their last album came out in 2012 (and holy shit, 2012 was five years ago). I think they still play shows, although Youtube results show their latest gigs happening in 2013.

Ancient immediately comes to mind when I read the thread title. They just completely fell off the world after the mid-2000s, and didn't do anything until they put their most recent album out last year. Same with Hecate Enthroned; after 2004, they just kind of stopped being a thing until doing a new album in 2013 and starting to play shows again.

I think about all Sucimez had to do with the Epitaph vinyl re-issue was giving Relapse Records admin access to the Facebook page and maybe cashing a few modest cheques.

I'm trying to think of another musician who gave up performing completely and largely left the public eye. All I can think is Syd Barrett (but of course, he had a chronic mental illness), and the jazz clarinetist Artie Shaw (who retired almost completely from the instrument many people thought he was the master of in 1954 despite living till 2004, although he was 44). I suppose other candidates who don't work as comparisons because they made a comeback suggest that Sucimez will be tempted back. To his credit, he's developed a legendary anticipation and the longer he waits the bigger a nest-egg it will be.

What? They were posting very regularly on their Facebook about the making of the album, the several delays and such, since 2014 or so.

I find this all very symptomatic of the current "information age". If bands are not constantly posting on social media, they are immediately considered dead. I personally like how, for example, Nortt has dealt with everything: not a single peep out of him for ten years until right before the release of a finished album. The other opposite is Dawn, who post semi-regularly about an album which is probably never going to be finished, meanwhile re-releasing old stuff and merch. To me, that's more dead than a complete social media silence.

Coven (or Coven 6669) are like this now. They've been teasing new material since 2012 but haven't been very active since 2015. Most of their social media is inactive - I think the last time their website was updated it was just to close the store. They don't seem to have played any live shows since 2015 then either. I know their drummer has been having health issues for a few years now, which might be partly why.

Another great band, Predator, were listed as active, even though they hadn't published anything since c.2004. Someone changed them to Unknown a while ago.

Time really is a cruel mistress.

The Kovenant haven't released anything since 2003 and we haven't had news from them in ages.

100% agreed. Bands like Summoning and Arcturus operate like this on a regular basis as well.

Dimmu Borgirr hasn't made anything new since 2010, that would be 7 years ago. The band is pretty much gone. The quality started lacking already in 2001, and I guess they just ran out of ideas. I do hope I'm wrong and that the band releases their best album since Enthrone.

Yeah, wonder what happened to those guys... The latest thing posted on their Facebook was something in honor of David Bowie, who passed away almost two years ago.


The band is not dead, we've had tons of updates regarding the new album, and apparently it's already finished, we just don't have any idea when will it be released.

The band is not dead, we've had tons of updates regarding the new album, and apparently it's already finished, we just don't have any idea when will it be released.[/quote]

Thats good news. Lets hope they will release it before I die of old age then.

I'm confusing why did you mention Deathspell Omega. They've released an album last year, before that 2 eps were released (2012 and 2011).

Job For A Cowboy released their last album in 2014 and made one concert after that (if I'm not wrong). No statement about their status since Jon Rice left the band and 2014 album.

Ray Wells of Raventhrone / Pazuzu completely vanished after moving to Canada. Last album came out in 2002...

I Kept thinking Motörhead seems to be quiet and thought they might of broke up. But then I was just told recently about lemmy..

I can think of two. Someone already mentioned Necrophagist. They released two genre defining albums and then disappeared? Why? What happened? Christian Munzner had/has about a million side projects and other bands so maybe that just took too much away from Necrophagist.

The other band that comes to mind is Crimson Glory. I know Midnight died in 2009 but even at that point they hadn't released anything new since 1999. I guess I don't know how long into the 2000's they toured and whatnot, but it seems like they were pretty much done after their last album.

I have to remind myself that Todd La Torre was in Crimson Glory when he was first announced as the new Queensryche singer. I know he eventually quit the former when it became apparent that they weren't planning to actually do anything.

Because they have almost no connection to the fans beyond their music and the interview or two they've done in the past, look at how they've released the most recent albums. Nothing more than an update of their bandcamp or the noevdia site a month or so before it drops. For all we know, they could have just recorded their last album.

Quo Vadis circa 2010:
"We got a new bassist!"
"We recorded a new single!"
[Deafening silence]

How about Cosmic Atrophy? Hmm rexxz? Pretty cool debut and then nothing.

S.V.E.S.T.

This band made some very excellent black metal releases. They haven't put out anything since 2008.

Dolorian. Their last album was in 2006. The only news I'm aware of was a slight update on their main website a few years after suggesting a new album, and then the band fell off the face of the earth as far as I know. Some of the members have been very active with their ambient projects and whatnot, but any new Dolorian album seems to be a dead concept.

Even their website is dead, it seems.

Rapture, the melodic death / doom band from Finland. Those guys were on a roll with great albums. Silent Stage was awesome and then.. nothing. It's been 12 years since that album! Holy shit! I remember when that thing was barely 5 years old. Never mentioned a break up to my knowledge.

didn't one of them disappear? always liked codex incubo.

geeze i didn't even realize, hopefully they are still active. for whatever reason, even though they probably aren't anything alike, black cilice gives me the same vibe(though svest is even more raw).

What!? They just put out an excellent split with Khthoniik Cerviiks this year... 5 minutes of basic internet sleuthing and I couldn't find any information either. Strange...

i've been looking for a month off and on, but i haven't been able to find any information. i mean it's not a HUGE deal, but i'd like to know why one of the best weird dm bands has broken up hah.

This is true. Honestly, I'm surprised Paracletus wasn't that for them..


Anyways, Nazgul comes to mind with their 2002 De Expugnatione Elfmuth release. Solid nerdier-than-thou LOTR black metal, but nothing after the first release. And, no released statements or anything by the band.

Maybe it's my lack of knowledge about the band, but... they've been like this since always, no? I mean, since I remember they've been always a quiet band: not too much information, no lives, just "here is my work, appreciate it".

You may see a new album eventually, but don't hold your breath as far as tours or even shows are concerned. Jonny's got school, a full-time job, and a kid, Al's got Goratory, Tony's in med school, and Nick has Havok. Rice will do it when (if) the time comes, but he's also going to be tied up with Behemoth for a little while. Either way, their days of being on the road for ten months out of the year are long gone.



They're back with Phil Tougas helping out.

I don't know the reasons why, but the insert for the split with Khthoniik Cerviiks says it's the last Howls of Ebb release.