Rings of Saturn Dropped by Label Over “Threats” and “Baseless Demands”
Rings of Saturn have been no strangers to controversy throughout their career, due mostly (solely?) to the actions of the band’s leader, Lucas Mann. And while we’re sure we haven’t seen the last of his antics, they will no longer be taking place as a member of the Nuclear Blast roster: the label has dropped Rings of Saturn over what they claim are “threats” and “baseless demands.”
Mann first came under fire in 2012 for allegedly recording studio parts in half time then speeding them up and, separately, for miming guitar parts in videos. A few years later, he stood accused of pretending to play guitar at the band’s live shows while tracked parts were piped through the PA, and eventually he got called out for stealing riffs from other musicians. Each time he had a rebuttal, often lengthy, and blamed reporting on sites like MetalSucks for his decline in mental health, but it was one of those “fool me once” instances where the source of the problem was clear. Still, the band continued to experience success and retained a lucrative deal with Nuclear Blast.
Now the label has finally had enough. Without going into specifics, and getting out in front of a statement Mann threatened to publish about unspecified injustices perpetrated against him, Nuclear Blast has issued their own statement via press release saying they’ve cut Rings of Saturn from their roster, calling out Mann by name.
Nuclear Blast’s statement reads:
“Nuclear Blast has a long-standing history of supporting its artists, treating them with the utmost respect and integrity. This included Lucas Mann and Rings of Saturn. Nuclear Blast is proud to provide this support and strives to make all its artists feel comfortable that they have a transparent, honest relationship with their label.
“Sadly, Lucas Mann on behalf of Rings of Saturn has brazenly threatened to issue public statements ‘condemning Nuclear Blast in the strongest terms possible’ if the label does not give in to his baseless demands. While Nuclear Blast is truly shocked and saddened by Lucas Mann’s actions, Nuclear Blast also does not tolerate threats. Accordingly, Rings of Saturn have been dropped from the label.”
I would really, really like to know more about these “baseless demands” Mann made, and why he feels so aggrieved. I have a feeling we’ll find out before too long, but you can rest assured it’ll be full of heaping piles of bullshit.
