New Music

Why has it taken Drowning Pool 14 years to get back to Australia?

Mar 30, 2016

4 min read

Texas rockers Drowning Pool have either been in your music library or the back of your mind for a very long time and it has been years since they have graced us with their presence, but why has it taken so long for them to make it back here? Well let's go on a trip down memory lane... Flashing back to Big Day Out in 2002 (yes kids, decent bands played the bill back in the day) where they ripped up the stage so fuckin' well it left Australian fans wanting more. But tragedy struck shortly after the band returned home when front-man Dave Williams passed away, suffering from an undiagnosed heart condition.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04F4xlWSFh0&w=480&h=360]

Following this devastating event, the band moved forward with a new singer in the form of Jason "Gong" Jones in 2003 who recorded and released the album Desensitized in 2004, which didn't do as well as they were expecting. Unfortunately "irreconcilable differences" lead to Jason parting ways with the band in mid-2005 and a very public feud between the two parties was started.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLhz6NWXA48&w=480&h=360]

However not to let a bit of former singer drama get in their way, the Pool were quick thinking and snatched up former SOiL singer Ryan McCombs who the band originally wanted to replace the late Dave Williams and he stuck it out with the guys for 6 years where he and the guys released the two albums "Full Circle" and "Drowning Pool" before pulling the pin to head back to his previous band.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4W3XCuRjTSY&w=480&h=360]

The year was 2012 and original members C.J. Pierce, Stevie Benton and Mike Luce have had a rough few years trying to maintain the legacy of the band which had so much potential to make it bigger than what they were but were stuck finding the right person to take to the stage and represent the band in style, that was until they held auditions and were impressed with what Jason Moreno brought to the table. For the past 4 years they've been working together to put out some of the best music of their careers including the 2013 album "Resilience" and most recently their latest offering "Hellelujah" much to the approval of eager fans, but now we will finally get to see these rock legends in person again as they make their triumphant return to Australia for the first time in 14 long fucking years.

The headlining tour announced yesterday is a sight for sore eyes who have wanted nothing more than to go hard in front of these blokes and it couldn't have happened at a better time. With a year that is already filling up with some amazingly talented acts heading our way, the time has come to work out which ones are worth your time, and Drowning Pool will most certainly be worth the time you've been waiting to see them in action.