The partnership between New Found Glory‘s iconic guitarist Chad Gilbert and progressive metalcore outfit Shai Hulud is fairly well known, with Gilbert being the band’s former vocalist. However, for the first time in 15 years, the vocalist has returned to his previous project.
But before you get too excited, the band has been quick to inform fans that this is not a permanent move, and once the album is complete they will be hunting for a long-term frontman. Gilbert was originally producing the new release, which will be the band’s 4th, and 1st since 2008.
Fans familiar with band will know that Gilbert’s last studio effort with Shai Hulud was 1997’s Hearts Once Nourished with Hope and Compassion. The vocalist position for the band has had a pretty high turnover rate. The new album, set to be released through Metal Blade Records in 2013, will be the first time the band have used the same singer on two separate albums. The drop-off rate for frontmen could be one of the reasons why the average gap between releases for the band is around 5-6 years.
Band member Matt Fox has also put to rest rumours that Chad would be joining them on the road: “just to be clear, Chad has not rejoined Shai Hulud, and it’s highly unlikely there will ever be a full tour with with him fronting the band”. The band released an official statement to handle the swelling rumours around the release, which you can check out thanks to Absolute Punk.
