What's Next For Limp Bizkit?

Just when you think you’ve given up on Limp Bizkit – and let’s face it, many have over the years – they go and do something that totally redeems them.

Most recently, it was their Los Angeles show at the Troubadour. Considering the show featured the band’s original line-up, including the oft-absent DJ Lethal ‘bringing it on’ once more, plus tickets were just $3 (natch), it was a special night.

Only the 400 people in LA’s Troubadour on March 5 will know just how special, though evidence of the evening’s badass-ery is evident in the slew of incredible viral videos shared online. There was the overzealous fan throwing himself off the balcony during Break Stuff; and Marilyn Manson, a conspicuous presence, joining Fred Durst for a spot of My Way. And that’s to say nothing of the appearances from rapper Machine Gun Kelly and Smashing Pumpkin Billy Corgan. Punters certainly got their money's worth, which is true of Limp Bizkit shows on these shores in recent years, be it headlining the K! Tour 2014, or their arena tour with Korn, or their many festival appearances.

Aside from the LA show’s obvious attractions, it provided a refreshing break from the usual chatter around Limp Bizkit – namely what the future holds and, addressing the stampeding disco elephant in the room, whether or not we’ll ever get that fabled new album. But those questions have now returned with a vengeance.

It’s not simply that we’ve had to wait a long time for a new Limp Bizkit album. Their last, the 3K-rated Gold Cobra, was released in 2011, which is a heartbeat compared to the gap between releases by, say, Tool, whose last album was released in 2006. The curiosity stems more from the fact few bands have stoked the fires of publicity and speculation over a release than Limp Bizkit used to with the album that may or may not be entitled Stampede Of The Disco Elephant – but then things went very quiet indeed.

Go on Limp Bizkit’s website, scroll down the homepage and you’ll be presented with download options for the track Endless Slaughter. And while it provides a reassuringly big, brash taste of what we still hope is to come, it’s safe to say it’s been there a while. The links are accompanied with the words, ‘An experience off the new album – “Stampede of the Disco Elephants” due in 2015.’ Four years on, Limp Bizkit’s unreleased sixth album has gone from hotly anticipated to the subject of cool scepticism – mentioned every now and then, only with diminished excitement.

While discussing tracks from Bring Me The Horizon’s latest album amo, Oliver Sykes and Jordan Fish revealed the riff to Wonderful Life, their collaboration with Dani Filth, had been held over from their unsuccessful sessions with Limp Bizkit. When pressed on what he knows of its progress, self-proclaimed superfan Oliver admitted he had no idea. There’s evidence, however, that things are moving in the right direction.

Last November, Limp Bizkit guitarist Wes Borland posted footage of him jamming in preparation for entering the studio to finally record the album. The band had understandably been sidetracked in the months beforehand; Wes and frontman Fred Durst were both affected by the California wildfires, with Fred losing his house during the blazes. But proving you can’t keep a good band down, Limp Bizkit fought onwards.

In December, Wes shared snippets of new material through his Instagram account, accompanied by the words: ‘Today was a very long and great day. We’re on track.’ But how seriously should we take this? We’ve been told the new album is imminent before – in 2015, to be precise.

The main reason we shouldn’t start holding our breath just yet is that every time Limp Bizkit appears to be getting somewhere, one of its constituent members goes off and does something else. In Fred Durst’s case, it’s his work as a director, most recently on the (similarly unreleased) film Moose, starring John Travolta. In the case of Wes and bassist Sam Rivers, it’s other musical ventures that have seen them stray from the Bizkit. Wes even managed to squeeze out a second album with his eccentric side project Big Dumb Face, 2017’s Where Is Duke Lion? He’s Dead…, some 16 years after their debut. Sam, meanwhile, has the band Sleep Killers with former Puddle Of Mudd bassist Damien Starkey and Saliva vocalist Bobby Amaru.

So what happens now? Well, considering the band started recording the album in earnest at the end of last year – what were they doing before that, then? – we may just get to hear it this year. You know who we’d like to get an update on the album’s progress from, though? Fred bloody Durst; rarely a man to hold anything back, more recently Limp Bizkit’s frontman has been rather reticent on the subject. Give us some good news, Fred, and then perhaps that red cap will stop getting a rap from the critics.