Anberlin Band • Page 217

I just think that Stephen is simply not in the band right now

 

Personally I think this was always the plan. It was just some weird bait and switch in an attempt to ease us into it or something. I wouldn’t have been a fan of Matty either way, but I’d have a hell of a lot more respect for them if they’d just be honest with their fans and not mock and antagonize anyone who shows any disappointment in the direction they’ve chosen to take.

 

if that's the case, they need to say it outright.

 

Yeah that would be cool and all, but I don't really expect it or care anymore to be honest, Anberlin is dead, Mattberlin is not for me

 

plus they’ve always been like this, i never believe a word stephen says anymore because they always backtrack or change their minds pretty much immediately

 

I don't wanna go now

but I've got to

for you to remember me

 

Totally. The fact that they still try to describe any sort of long-term plans for the band is absurd.

 

Not excited but will definitely check it out. I don’t plan on seeing them live or buying any merch or vinyl from this new era, but I’ll always be curious enough to at least check out new music.

 

We'll always have NTFP, Cities and Vital I guess....

 

I will not fault them for doing what they need to do to keep the bills paid.

I will fault them for not being forthcoming with their fans.

 

I also fault them for being pissy at fans online for not blindly loving Marty.

 

it sucks cause i love pretty much everything up to and including convinced, just am not a fan of matty’s voice at all and their attitude online really turns me off. have an appointment to do some more work on my music sleeve and was gonna finally get my anberlin tattoo but now i am second guessing lol

 

Yep. It’s a Marty song. I’m done with this band.


https://www.instagram.com/stories/anberlin/3478713984916786975?igsh=MWJmN3Y2NzJ0b240ZQ==

 

Pretty much this. The middle school level attitude they direct at fans having legitimate criticisms to his vocals, has turned me off from checking out any of their new music.

 

i'll give it a listen, but i have very low expectations. it sucks having zero clarity about the future of the lineup, their sound, and the output of their better vocalist, especially when the band is uninterested in finding that out for themselves.

 

I think it’s cool they put out a record in August and new music is coming in October. Also from interviews Matty sang on songs that were written prior and the new stuff is all of them writing together. IMO I would reserve judgement until a proper ep / album is out with this lineup writing on it.

Curious if this has impacted streams, show turnout, or general interest in the band. Sounds like the die hards hate it and very casual fans are confused when they go to shows. Like they have no idea there’s a new frontman.

My guess is this will go on for two years and he will choose to go back to his band full time and Stephen either will or wont come back.

 

I don’t like Marty’s voice. Pass.

 

Honestly I wouldn't be surprised if this isn't as big of a deal to most as it to us here, or a vocal minority on their social media. It wouldn't be shocking if the impact is negligible, and I gotta think them touring and releasing new music, regardless of vocalist, is keeping their name fresh in people's minds, and they're getting more streams just by being an active band.

I also believe 100% there are people who are nowhere near as terminally online as us who show up to shows and are surprised to see someone singing other than Stephen.

 

Yeah, I've tried with Marty but it's just so different...use a different band name maybe?

 

yeah i would rather they go no vocals over matty

 

To me, Walk alone is like a riff on Day Late, and Seven sounds like a riff on the post reunion stuff with heavier scene metal tones to it. I am super not a fan of MMF and Matty is definitely a character but I am intrigued to see the band take their shot at doing something new and inventive. I also think this is cooler than going on hiatus again. I heard both and thought “I can see this being cool, and I hope they pick up some new fans” Would love if they had an ep out in the next couple of months all in on this era of the band before forming any big opinions.

Has anyone been to a show? Do the new songs get a crowd pop?

 

the online commentary i've seen outside of this site seems overall positive which made me wonder if the people who still go to anberlin shows in 2020+ are people who generally know what's going on with the band (though I would've thought otherwise given how many people apparently go to anniversary shows despite never following those bands anymore).

that said, i remain continuously surprised how much fan overlap these bands apparently have, especially given how poorly vocalist changes are usually received.

 

I honestly can’t care if they can’t be honest about the current band dynamics. They said Stephen was still gonna do studio and Marty was for live. This is not what happened.

 

I saw them last month, it's just not the same band. Matty sucks. He jokingly said his goal is to slowly turn the band into a metalcore band lol

 

to be fair, they have confirmed they've recorded new songs with both of them, and my assumption was that we'd at least have more Stephen tracks to look forward to in the near future, given some recent comments saying he's excited for new material he's recorded with the band. but based on other comments in this thread citing some recent podcast interviews (idk which ones), they seem to be pushing full-speed ahead with shifting the balance of Matty and Stephen because Matty is writing more with them than Stephen (iirc, Nate said they might do a Matty-only EP, which i'm not excited about). i'd be less upset if they reaffirmed that Stephen-led material was still coming, and maybe it's naive to assume it's not since this new song is only the third Matty has done with the band. but again, if their tone has truly changed and they're more interested in putting out Matty-led material over Stephen-led material, i'm definitely more worried. like i wanna be optimistic we'll get more from Stephen, but i also don't wanna be delusional either.