God Forbid are Mulling Over Reunion Tour Offer
Sometimes great bands break up and become relegated to history’s dust bin. Other times the legend grows in their absence as younger fans discover their music and older ones get bit by the nostalgia bug. Faith No More and At the Gates are a couple of bands in the latter category in recent memory.
Which one describes God Forbid?
Guitarist Doc Coyle feels it’s the latter. Last month, he said “it is a matter of if, not when” God Forbid get back together — they called it quits in 2013 — and now, on his own podcast, he’s revealed that the band has an active tour offer they’re mulling over.
During God Forbid’s heyday, it felt like the band never got their due. They were up there with Killswitch, Shadows Fall, Mastodon, Unearth and the like, but never quite broke through despite the band’s incredible catalogue of work. If demand has, in fact, picked up steam since then, Doc’s work as host of one of metal’s most popular podcasts, visible personality on social media, guest writer on a handful of websites (including this one) and role as guitarist in hard rock juggernaut Bad Wolves will certainly have played a big part.
But all that’s getting ahead of ourselves. In a recent episode of his Ex-Man podcast, speaking to special guest Olly Steele (newly ex-Monuments), Coyle and Steele had an exchange in which Coyle revealed the existence of a God Forbid tour offer and then invited Olly to be part of it, in place of Coyle’s brother, Dallas, who left in 2009 (Matt Wicklund took his spot through the band’s demise). The conversation went down like this:
Coyle: “So God Forbid has been getting some offers for tours and reunions and stuff—and I don’t even know if it’ll happen or not—but if it does happen, would Olly Steele be down to play second guitar in God Forbid, if it happened?”
Steele: “Are you shitting me?”
Coyle: “No, I’m not shitting you.”
Steele: “Where’s Dallas?…”
Coyle: “Dallas… He’s done with me. He had his run and now he’s done.”
Steele: “I can’t think of anything that would be more fun… If I’m free. I’m not saying I’d never be in a band again, you know.”
Coyle: “If you’re down to do it… The thing about it, it’s not even really being in a band. It’ll probably be some shows and maybe a tour. But there’s nothing crazy, we’d probably take it one step at a time.
And like I said, I don’t even know if the other guys want to do it. I think we’re supposed to have a conference call, kinda talk to everyone and see what the vibe is. But we have a tour offer right now, for a European tour, which I don’t know if we’re gonna do or not.
But it just kinda seems like things have come around and there’s renewed interest in the band. And if I was gonna get someone, you’d be the guy I want to get. So I thought I’d ask you here.”
Steele: “That’s amazing, 1000% yes.”
Coyle: “Awesome, alright now I’m excited. I thought you’d say yes.”
Steele: “You’re excited? I was 15-16-years-old playing guitar for the first time and learning from you and Dallas, and this has just happened, that’s amazing.”
Coyle: “Well, I can’t have anymore white people in the band alright? [laughs].”
Steele: “It’s a shame that it may not be the original lineup, BUT, let’s fucking play “Into The Wasteland” seven times in a row.”
Needless to say, we’d be stoked on a God Forbid reunion no matter who’s on second guitar! It’d be extra-sweet if it were Dallas, obviously, but we’d be very pumped to see Olly in that role.
But, once again, we’re getting ahead of ourselves. The band’s gotta talk things out and decide about the tour, and in the event they agree, that’ll still be a ways off (likely not until mid-2022 at the earliest, the way tours are booking out now). And Bad Wolves are getting ready to release a new album, so Doc is gonna be busy as hell… meaning it could be even longer.
So: fingers crossed! And patience. Until then:
[via The PRP]
