JOSH EPPARD RETURNS TO COHEED AND CAMBRIA
It’s been a rough year for Coheed & Cambria. In July, bassist Michael Todd was arrested for attempted armed robbery of a drugstore for opiate pills and was subsequently dismissed from the band, a “no duh!” decision that makes Joe Paterno look like a saint. Then, just a coupla weeks ago, ex-Dillinger Escape Plan drummer Chris Pennie announced that he was leaving the band to pursue other projects after holding down their drum throne for four years. Even though Claudio Sanchez and Travis Stever are the creative backbone of Coheed, a 50% lineup change in a four-month time frame is a pretty big deal and should’ve certainly had fans worried about the future of the band.
But worry no more! According to Noisecreep, former Coheed drummer Josh Eppard has stepped back into the Coheed fold.
Josh is the brother of guitarist/vocalist Joey Eppard of the band 3, for whom he used to play drums before joining Coheed the first time. Eppard was a member of Coheed & Cambria ever since they were called Coheed & Cambria, so this has to feel like a coming home of sorts for Eppard, the band members and the fans. The band issued a statement in which they revealed they’re currently working on their 6th album, and you can read that statement here. But this is the most interesting part of it:
We understand there are risks involved bringing Josh back into the fray. Even with his two-years of sobriety, this is a giant leap of faith on our part. But at the end of the day, we have all grown up, and we have all been through so much, that playing with Josh again is sort of like coming home. It’s comfortable, it’s familiar, it just feels right… it’s hand in glove.
It’s a ballsy move to put that out there to be sure, but given the events that led to Eppard’s departure from the band in the first place it strikes me as a necessary one. Grab the bull by the horns instead of trying to dance around it.
I haven’t followed Coheed’s music very closely over the past couple of album cycles, but they’re a really good band whose new material I’ll always be interested in and back. Looking forward to the new album, presumably, in mid-2012.
-VN
