5 years isn't necessarily that much. Bands with huge tours and massive album productions tend to take that long, even if they're working actively in their tour/write/record cycle. Blind Guardian has been releasing new albums quite steadily, even if the cycle has been quite long. Nobody can claim that they haven't been a very active band in the last two decades, despite having released only 4 full-length albums since Nightfall.

I wish more bands took their time with their creative output instead of crapping out whatever they can throw at the wall every xx months in order not to drop off the radar of what has generally become a progressively more ADHD-riddled audience.
A few years between records used to be the norm; bands like the Beatles or Creedence Clearwater Revival, who put out so many albums (and non-album tracks) in a short time with little to no drop in quality, gained their legendary reputation for a reason. Nowadays if a band fails to post any update on social media for a rfew months, people start questioning their status. I have to applaud Funeral Mist for their modus operandi: focus on the music, and the music alone.

Purely speculation but with Cephalic Carnage I am guessing they haven't put out any new music because I am guessing their old guitarist Zac Joe was such an integral part of the band's sound and was possibly a primary composer they're having a hard time writing new music without him? His other band Vimana sounds a lot like Cephalic at times.

Atheist have confirmed an album this year. Cephalic Carnage, who the hell knows. They still tour but there's been nothing on a new album to my knowledge.

I feel like Evile is reaching that 5 year point. It looks like they are still touring, and Ol Drake is back with them. I remember them being decently big in that initial 2nd wave of thrash.

DRI. They released an EP... But last time with a full length was around... 1995?

- Benediction - last album was in 2008... they occasionally still perform live, but the busiest bee seems the vocalist who seems pretty active with Anaal Nathrakh the last couple of years. Also the Benediction bassist is doing the Memoriam project at the moment. So I guess maybe the problem lays in the guitar team department? Maybe they're a bit busy on a personal level... ? They've been saying for years a new album is in the works. 'Benediction is a slow moving beast' s what they posted once...

And, while it hasn't been five years since their last album, I doubt we'll be seeing anything new from Symphony X for a long time, since Romeo said the band was on hold. (I'm still wondering why their status on MA hasn't been updated to reflect this, as he made this statement a while back.)

I haven't released shit these past 14 years, and there's no real plan for a release, and I'm still knee deep in cables, and trying out new stuff and putting every cent i have in music, because I LOVE IT! The stuff I warble and grate out of my monitor speakers today is just for me, and if i ever come up with something really groundbreaking or at least good AND particular, I'll share it. I could fake an album every 2-3 years, and put some big ass chords in there, and stabs, and blastbeats, and colossal choirs (and really I got some massive choirs today!) but it would feel like parodying, not creating.

I wish more bands took their time with their creative output instead of crapping out whatever they can throw at the wall every xx months in order not to drop off the radar of what has generally become a progressively more ADHD-riddled audience.
A few years between records used to be the norm; bands like the Beatles or Creedence Clearwater Revival, who put out so many albums (and non-album tracks) in a short time with little to no drop in quality, gained their legendary reputation for a reason. Nowadays if a band fails to post any update on social media for a rfew months, people start questioning their status. I have to applaud Funeral Mist for their modus operandi: focus on the music, and the music alone.

I think a lot of it also came down to those guys being able to make a living off their music and thus spend more time on it. I mean, there are hobbyists with day jobs who stay prolific but it's pretty hard to pull off for long on a limited budget.

Its amazing when you think that Sabbath put out 5 classic albums in a 4 year period. Zeppelin did I-IV in a 3 year span. Bowie was similar among many other classic artists. Did they just have that much more mojo than modern bands? Maybe there was just more fresh new territory to go over.

Bowie did 12 records in the 70's!

I'm patiently waiting since 2010 for new material from Heathen.

That's because you had to be good at what you do in the 70s.

Studio time and tape reels were expensive, and there was no real home recording option. So you had to come in well rehearsed with clear vision for the songs, and not fuck around and excecute the best performances in the fewest takes.

The mighty Savatage comes to mind. I'm not sure if this band can be truly called active anymore since the guys are involved with their other projects like Jon Oliva's Pain, TSO, Circle II Circle, ... Maybe it's just one of those bands still existing with minimal activity. Their last album is Poets and Madmen (2001). Definitely like to hear something new!

I also can't believe Jon can live much longer unless he tackles his weight problem. Not fat-shaming here, he is simply seriously obese by any standards.

The only thing worse than waiting years and years between releases is when the new output finally arrives, but is a total letdown compared to previous work.