Howdy doody, Nevermore peepuhls!
I don't typically visit fan forums, mainly because there's not a whole lot of relevant discussion about the band in question; usually it's just a bunch of trolling, flame wars, fan-bashing, and people posting funny shit. *glances around* But it's clear that there are a lot of strong feelings in here, and when I heard this news, I thought that maybe I should pop in and see what everyone else had to say.
Unfortunately it doesn't look like there really were a whole lot of opinions on the how's and why's this happened. Seems to me like most of you just sort of turned on each other. That's a bummer.
Obviously because I don't post here, I'm not going to poke at anyone with sticks (although I do enjoy it immensely).
I just wanted to say that it's sad news for those of us who have watched this band evolve from the beginning, just as it was sad news when Tim Calvert peaced out, just as it's sad news when any member of any band decides to bounce. But it does no good to start chewing on each other's asses about it.
Look at it this way: With all the lingering suspense that WD created at the beginning of this thread, it could have been something far more tragic than a paradigm shift. What if (God forbid) someone hadn't left the band, but in fact PASSED AWAY? I highly doubt that you all would be bashing them and bashing each other. No, you would sing his praises, post photos, and console one another, and all of a sudden, being a "fanboi" would be a bragging right.
We all got into this band because of the people in it. I'm not going to stop being a fan of Jeff Loomis because he made this decision. That's just stupid. And why is everyone bashing Jeff, anyhow? I don't know about you guys, but in all my years on this giant fucking rock, I have yet to meet a highly accomplished, magazine-glossing, world-touring major-label lead guitarist who DIDN'T have an ego. (Trust me; do you know who my husband is? *lol*)
And for the record, I had the pleasure of meeting all these guys back in 2002. I've seen them live about seven or eight times. I haven't really stayed in direct communication with any of them because life happens and we're all really fucking busy. But you know what? Jeff was always the one who was willing to sit down with me over a beer and shoot the shit, Jeff was always the one who had a hug for me every time he saw me, and Jeff is STILL the only one who drops me a line from time to time for no particular reason, just to say hello. So I'm not sure which Jeff Loomis some of you are referring to, but I've never met him.
In closing, bad news for fans, but obviously good news for all parties involved. A band of people who don't get along will inevitably make shitty records.
Peace.
