You know what, this year has been one of the fullest in heavy music history don't you think?! Not only did we see new albums from Tool, Rammstein and The Damned Things, but a plethora of bands from our youth (and beyond) have announced they'll be giving the band thing another go, much to the approval of fans alike.
The latest offering is Mötley Crüe who have blown up their contract that says they can't tour ever again (didn't see that coming, oh shit where's the sarcasm button) and to be honest, I'm not as excited by the news as I thought I'd be. I guess it's because a stack of better bands have already announced their comebacks and I'm counting them all down right here, right now with my Top 7 Bands Reunions Of 2019...
7 - The Red Shore
I don't know how he did it, but the man and legend that is AshHull (Destroy All Lines booker) managed to convince The Red Shore to regroup for next year's return of Invasion Fest which is shaping up to be one of the best heavy/hardcore festivals of the year in Sydney. It's also sold out so if you missed out on a ticket, good luck catching these guys back on stage together for the first time in a decade.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9ErdJkLfTM&w=640&h=360]
6 - Confession
To be fair, it was for a handful of shows in Melbourne (our coverage here) and Brisbane but the want and demand proved fans want Crafter back on stage with his Confessionals and I don't even care that it had only been 3 years since he called it a day (I even did a farewell interview with the boxhead here). More shows are lined up for next year so get ready for more on stage antics from Australia's heavy music answer to Farnsy.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4w_42T2BRs&w=640&h=360]
5 - The Damned Things
Out of nowhere, the band reformed with a new album called High Crimes (our review here), a new lineup and a new label over at Nuclear Blast. The supergroup made up of members of Anthrax, Every Time I Die, Fall Out Boy and Alkaline Trio went quiet following a bit of touring for their debut album Ironiclast in 2012 and we never thought we'd see them on stage together again. But they're back and once they work out their busy schedules (it can get a bit hard when there are four other bands at play here), hopefully we see them head back to Australia following their unfortunate cancellation at Good Things Festival due to scheduling conflicts (catch up here).
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKdULf6iCng&w=640&h=360]
4 - Your Demise
Our photographer Mitch Chamberlain came to me busting at the seem of these guys getting back together and once they announced they were playing Slam Dunk Fest in the UK, fans absolutely lost their shit.
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The hardcore punks have gone through more lineup changes that I've changed underwear this year and called it a day back in 2014 (they popped back up again in 2015 but that didn't last long) and now 2020 will see the lads hit the stage again. Fingers crossed they've got Australia in their sights not long after
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHM8moYU1jQ&w=640&h=360]
3 - My Chemical Romance
First, they announced a reunion show in LA which sold out in minutes, then My Chemical Romance announced they were headlining Download Festival Australia which blew the minds of emos everywhere and now it's safe to say they're taking back sunday the music scene with a reunion that's going to be spoken about for years to come. To completely understand what this band meant to their legion of fans, take a look at our writer Kaydan Howison's open love letter which he penned not long after they revealed they came back from the dead...
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhZTNgAs4Fc&w=640&h=360]
2 - The Ghost Inside
Ok so technically the band hadn't broken up, but we never EVER thought we'd see The Ghost Inside working on new material or even playing shows again. They broke the internet when they announced a one-off comeback show in LA (our coverage here) and sent Australian fans into a frenzy when they backed it up with a festival appearance announcement for UNIFY Gathering 2020 which is going to blow minds and send a tidal wave of tears through Tarwin Lower next year. They're slowly making their way back and have new material on the way which they're making with Jeremy McKinnon of A Day To Remember but most of us are still gobsmacked any of this is even happening.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzS5-AjJ71E&w=640&h=360]
and the winner is...
1 - Rage Against The Machine
NONE OF US SAW THIS COMING. NONE OF US.
It completely overshadowed My Chem's reunion news and resulted in the disbanding of Prophets of Rage in the process... But sad news aside, Rage Against The Machine are officially back for a string of shows (including Coachella 2020) and with today's current climate and political issues across the globe, they couldn't have come back at a better time. Tim Commerford, Zack de la Rocha, Tom Morello and Brad Wilk on stage together again sounds like a fantasy, but it's happening and we can only keep our fingers, toes and eyes crossed they head back to Australia for the first time since their appearance at Big Day Out 2008.
Over the past few years, we've seen bands write songs about the Orange man in power in the states including Sum 41, Rise Against and Anti-Flag but the one band we have all secretly been openly waiting for always has and always will be RATM. So here's to what they come up with next. Tours now. New material not long before or after right? I mean if Prophets of Rage are calling it a day because the OGs are back, surely that means Rage are here for good (or at least another extended reunion timeline).
Words by Browny @brownypaul
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3dvbM6Pias&w=853&h=480]
