Tool finally came through with the goods, so who's next?
After an interminable, seemingly endless wait, we finally got a new Tool album in 2019. However, while their fanbase have long suffered in their drawn-out hopes for new material they are not alone, and there are a number of other bands out there that we’d like to hear more from. Here are 10 with potential who definitely sit at the top of our wish list.
While three quarters of LA’s angriest sons continue to play together in Prophets Of Rage, there’s little reason to expect vocalist Zack de La Rocha to call up his former bandmates and suggest they get together and hammer out some new material after nearly 20 years. That this is something of a shame is an understatement, particularly considering that in these turbulent times we could do with them now more than ever. But as recently as May of this year guitarist Tom Morello was quoted as saying there’s no news on the Rage front, recommending that those calling out for them should start their own bands and get the job done, which is good advice but not really what we want to hear.
Rumours abound as to what’s going on in the AC/DC camp. We’ve heard through the grapevine that they’re recording, and the word is that the record will be based on riffs laid down by the late Malcolm Young during the sessions for 2008’s Black Ice, which if true is great news indeed. However, who will be supplying vocals on the alleged record is unknown, with more rumours bouncing around that Brian Johnson, who was forced to step down from touring with the band in 2016 or risk losing his hearing is back in the fold, which would mean his replacement - one W Axl Rose - will not be making his recording debut with AC/DC. Or will he?
It never helps productivity when band members don’t get along, and only a few weeks ago did vocalist David Lee Roth assert that he and the Van Halen brothers have “always hated each other”. This did not stop them putting out 2012’s A Different Kind Of Truth, and they always have alternate vocalist Sammy Hagar to call up, but regardless, there have been no whisperings of new material in the works of late. Back in 2015, following a successful reunion tour with Diamond Dave, guitarist Eddie announced that they had the material all ready for recording, but whether or not any of that has been lain down - with or without a vocalist - remains a mystery for now.
If it was solely down to guitarist Daron Malakian the world would already have new System Of A Down material to bask in - but it’s not, so we continue to suffer from a distinct lack. After Daron essentially threw vocalist Serj Tankian under the bus and placed the blame at his feet in K! last year, Serj responded at length, both accepting the responsibility for this dearth and making it clear that should creative input - and financial compensation - be split equally between all four members rather than dominated by the guitarist then maybe SOAD could move forward. In the meantime, both members have been using material that might have been the province of SOAD on their own projects, so you sort of do have the new songs, just not in the format you’re hoping for.
Perry Farrell recently celebrated turning 60 by releasing a solo album that is eclectic to say the least, and of course stoked the fires for those wanting new material from Jane’s Addiction. It’s been eight years since they dropped their last album, The Great Escape Artist, which is not as long as some of the gaps on this list, but still the desire for more is there. When K! recently caught up to the man himself and asked him of the possibility he did not shoot it down, but pointed out that one of the other members of Jane’s was already a part of his Kind Heaven Orchestra and expressed hope that maybe the other two would be a part of his next solo record.
Just where exactly has that Stampede Of The Disco Elephants gotten to? First announced all the way back in 2012 - and with two singles ostensibly from it dropped in 2012 and 2013 respectively - it’s not hard to side with those frustrated by the endless delay. In July 2017 Fred Durst claimed that the album has actually been available for free download and hiding out on the internet ready to be discovered for some time, only for guitarist Wes Borland to assert that Fred is still working on it by himself in 2018. What’s the truth? Will we ever get to hear a new Limp Bizkit album? Will they put a bullet in it and just start over and pick a less ridiculous title? We have so many questions.
It’s been 11 years since Chinese Democracy saw the light of day, but it’s been 26 years since we last had new Guns N' Roses material that featured Slash and Duff McKagan alongside Axl Rose. That the reunited lineup has been lighting up stages and sounding phenomenal for some time now has obviously gotten everyone’s hopes up that the wait for something new might soon be over, but so far we have nothing to feast our ears on. They have allegedly been in the studio and lain down something, but to what end remains to be seen, and even if it’s just a couple of songs for a soundtrack we’ll take it at this point.
It may have only been five years since The Ghost Inside dropped Dear Youth, a relative blip compared to some of the waits racked up elsewhere on this list, but considering what they have been through in that time the question as to whether we’ll get anything new from them is more than valid. a triumphant and supremely emotional return to the stage with a one-off live show, they proved that they still have it in them to attain greatness, and now it’s down to them to decide if they have anything new to say in the studio. In the recent K! cover story they mentioned they’ve been writing, and all we can do is hope that that starts a fire in them and rewards their fans with new songs.
Okay, so we have don't have much to pin our hopes on with this one since there haven't been any rumours or murmurings since this, but it doesn’t stop us wanting an eighth studio album from San Francisco’s kings of alt-metal. 2015’s Sol Invictus was a welcome return, and proved they still had it in them to kill it like they did in the old days, and more of the same would be welcome. Of course, vocalist Mike Patton would have to fit it in amidst his 10,000 other projects, and keyboardist Roddy Bottum has been busy recently with his Nastie Band, so Mike’s isn’t the only calendar that would need clearing, but hopefully all concerned will make some time and the mighty Faith No More will reign again.
It’s hard to believe that it’s been a decade already since Them Crooked Vultures, the supergroup comprised of QOTSA vocalist/guitarist Josh Homme, Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones and a certain Mr Dave Grohl on drums, dropped their one and only full-length. At the time, Dave touted a second album that would quickly follow but never did, and we’re left scratching our heads as to why so far it’s been a one-off project. Obviously there are the day jobs of Dave and Josh, which take priority, but you’d think somewhere in there they would have found the time to lay down something. As recently as 2017 Dave has mentioned that there are still plans for the band to return, and we can only hope that means not just live shows but a visit to the studio along the way.
