Anberlin Band • Page 201

The EPs are really good and Matty can't erase that

 

I didn’t say that he did lol.

 

MARTY CAN'T ERASE IT

 

HE CAN IF HE GETS THIS THING TO 88 MILES PER HOUR

 

I feel the same way about the EPs, and everything. Maybe Marty will just be a temporary thing in the bigger picture for these guys.

 

my good friend who follows anberlin more close said she wasn't surprised when stephen finally left she said he always seemed burnt out and was EXTRA happy to be home after every tour, like he seemed like he didn't wanna be out on the road for years at that point, that's why i was surprised they went hard again with him when they got back together, i never followed him personally but that was told to me when i brought up, she was like oh yah i knew he'd leave eventually, he didnt wanna be tour so much.

 

I don't know why they couldn't just combine those EP into an album that closes the Stephen fronted version of the band and keep those two songs as a separate thing. They may have a reason but it's odd to me.

 

Wow I had no idea Stephen was taking a hiatus. I’m seeing them in September, pretty bummed to hear this.

 

announced last year Anberlin Detail New Era of the Band • chorus.fm

 

I don’t think Anberlin can be a band making new music without Stephen. I know Joey and Christian take on a lot of writing too, but I feel like Stephen is kinda integral to Anberlin.

 

His vocal style is so distinct. I don’t get why they wouldn’t understand this.

 

So many haters in here without hearing any actual songs with Matty, lol

 

You realize that doesn't matter right? If Machine Gun Kelly joins Linkin Park, no one needs to hear a song together before hating on it. This is the same thing

 

haven’t we heard lots of songs with Matty? He’s been in a lot of bands and sung on a lot of songs? And there’s been multiple videos of him on Anberlin songs posted too?

 

What do you think is going to happen? We all hear Marty on Anberlin songs and suddenly collectively decide “you know what? Anberlin works without Stephen, perhaps even better with Marty.”

 

I can’t begrudge them for doing they need to do to keep the band going and ensure they can put food on the table. But this iteration of the band is a no from me, dawg.

 

i still stand by the idea that Matty has a few distinct moments where his voice sounds "good", but they're severely overshadowed by the plethora of overly-processed vocals and a more blunt/pronounced inflection, and unless he's worked to sound more natural on these fronts (which i doubt), i don't know if his style would work with this band the way Stephen's do. i could be proven wrong, and perhaps the recordings of Seven and Walk Alone won't be as jarring (FWIW, i really liked the live recording of Seven i heard, Walk Alone is just generic as hell), or perhaps Stephen will still feature as the primary vocalist with Matty as BGVs or a feature. but i kinda doubt it.

 

Long rant ahead...

You know the pity in all of this is, it puts fans in an odd position. There's this sense that you're not being giving or open to the band if you're not willing to follow on this journey. Or maybe you're not a "true" fan. But it's like a restaurant taking off the dish people fell in love with them for and scolding you for not giving them as much business.

I get Matty touring and letting the guys do their thing. I get there wouldn't be much turnout if it's not branded as Anberlin. But even that seems more driven by the band's desire to keep going than their desire to serve their fans well (whether that be in continuing with Stephen or ending on a high note). It's not gatekeeping Anberlin to be upset if Anberlin stops sounding like Anberlin.

And I mean, I get it. It's their band. But once you establish your base, it really isn't just your band anymore. And Anberlin has been so legendary in the way they served fans even long after the hiatus that this all feels even odder and more out of character.

I just feel like, you can still be a recording band. Maybe you can go out for a couple weeks out of the year. Otherwise, steward other musical opportunities that you have without muddying up your legacy as a band. Then enjoy the fruits of Anberlin's legacy (with a little add on in between) AND grow something else that's also cool (like Carrollhood).

Just don't do whatever it looks like you're doing right now where the folks who are most invested are bigger fans of the singer of an entirely different (and objectively less dynamic) band. Anberlin has been my favorite band for half of my 30 years of life and this is literally the only kind of move they could make that would have a chance of changing that.

This could all be premature cause who knows how much Stephen will be involved going forward. And I know the guys have a passion for touring AND have to put food on the table. I just never thought I'd have to hear Anberlin without Stephen. And I don't think I'm short-sighted to not want that.

Final note: I also don't hate Memphis May Fire (Challenger sort of slapped) and don't anticipate hating the Matty songs. But there's a reason we're never hearing U2 without Bono. It really isn't U2 anymore. Same goes for Anberlin. If Stephen wasn't such a terrific frontman, we wouldn't be in this situation, but we are.

 

that sounds way better than anberlin with matty lol. Ik it’s a joke but at least MGK has a unique voice. The absolute last thing on earth a graceful, elegant band like anberlin can take on is the Kmart prototype 2016 post hardcore voice. Theres just no character there. I think it’s unfair to the rest of a band when we equate them with their singer, and so I think there is a world where Stephen is replaced by someone and the band maintains its essence, but matty’s essence as a vocalist is just sonically and stylistically antithetical to anberlin.

 

I'd rather hear Matty sing than MGK lol. Generic is better than bad to me but yeah I don't want to hear either of them really.

I think Anberlin are entitled to try whatever they want but yeah it sounds like a lot of fans won't be that interested in the new version so I'm curious how it'll turn out.

 

Matty is fine. The problem isn't Matty. The problem is no Stephen. I'm just not sure the phenomenon they all created together as Anberlin can be reproduced without Stephen singing the songs.

 

I mean, the problem's not not Matty.

 

Now I feel like we're talking about The 1975.

 

Would that be better or worse?

 

better