Suicide Silence guitarist Mark Heylmun has issued an update on the band’s forthcoming album with new vocalist Eddie Hermida (ex-All Shall Perish). It can be read below.
In a statement posted on Facebook, Heylmun said the record was being written in honor of the band’s late singer Mitch Lucker, who died one year ago tomorrow in a motorbike accident: “This record will be the grittiest, most meaningful piece of work we’ve ever stood behind. We cannot wait for everyone to hear it.”
He added: “[producer] Steve Evetts is someone we’ve worked closely with for a long while, not only on ‘The Black Crown,’ but also on some instrumental demos just prior to the tragedy last Fall. Here we are a year later prepping to record the nastiest, heaviest, most disgusting work we’ve ever done. Expect the unexpected. This is for Mitch.“
At around 9pm on Halloween night of 2012, Lucker’s Harley Davidson struck a light pole and slid into a 2007 Nissan Titan pickup. He was taken to hospital and pronounced dead at 6:17AM the following morning (Nov. 1).
Lucker’s wife, Jolie Carmadella stated, “He was an alcoholic, and it’s been a big battle. I tried to stop him. I was in front of him begging him not to leave the house. Begging him. ‘Just seriously, for us, don’t leave.’ And he did. And this is what happened…He was an amazing man. He was a wonderful father and a great husband. And now he’s gonna miss out on watching [our 5-year-old daughter] Kenadee grow, because he decided to drink and ride.”
Earlier this month, Suicide Silence announced that Eddie Hermida of All Shall Perish would be the new vocalist via the following statement:
“Suicide Silence is pleased to announce the addition of Eddie Hermida to the family. Many of you may be familiar with Eddie through his work with All Shall Perish. For those of you unfamiliar, our relationship with Eddie goes way back to the Spreading Disease Tour, our first U.S. headlining run, in 2006. Mitch & Eddie remained long-time friends and we felt that if the band were to continue it should be with someone Mitch knew personally and respected as both a friend and an artist. We’ve chosen Eddie as our new frontman in association with this long-standing relationship & countless other attributes from his quality of character to his dynamic vocal abilities that make him the absolute best fit for this band.
“We hope you all will embrace this decision with open arms understanding that this is what Mitch would have wanted. He would want his brothers to stick together & carry forward what he helped create. Every time we step on stage it will be in his honor & for his legacy. Suicide Silence will continue.”
Suicide Silence’s comeback album is slated for release during the summer of 2014 via Nuclear Blast Records.