Gottem

So we are done. I never thought I’d be saying that, but we are. There are many reasons, but for the sake of y'all I’ll put the TLDR first

I used Gottem as a way to help my mental state for years, and it isn’t helping anymore.

1) we’ve had, including fill ins and studio musicians, 15 members. I’ve been the only person who’s been a constant. This has caused a lot of relationships to come and go in my life, including people who were at one point my best friends.

2) I deal with, and have been diagnosed with severe clinical depression and anxiety amongst other things. I used Gottem as an outlet to deal with these things. Over the past 6 or so months it’s done more harm than help, and I can’t be focusing on something that is harming me. I need to work on myself.

3) after touring 130 days last year I’m drained in every sense of the word. Physically I’m underweight and ate like shit. Mentally I had no time to work on myself. Emotionally I’ve just been letting myself decompose more and more. Financially I’m fucked, hell, I couldn’t afford food for a lot of the time last year.

4) Gottem started as a joke. It was my first project. It was something I did for fun, hell I still don’t have the greatest voice or can play guitar all that well. I never expected to be able to do the things I did. An ex of mine told me that it was a pipe dream, that no one would ever support Gottem, no labels would touch it, I’d never tour, etc. Being able to do all those things and have people have blind faith in Gottem and me is honestly mind blowing.

Thank you everyone. I’ve been able to see 41 states and innumerable cities, play in 37 of them, make countless friends, see and play with some of my favorite bands, put out two records on vinyl, have 4 tape releases, and so much more. Having people I’ve never met message me on Facebook, here, my personal tumblr, etc. saying that songs I had written in my bedroom helped them through so much blows my mind. Seeing people I’ve never met before in states I’ve never been to sing along to songs is the craziest feeling I’ve ever had.

Not continuing with Gottem is a weird feeling. It’s like ending a 3 year relationship and not having that constant in my life anymore. I need to do this, though. I can’t keep running myself thin when there are so many things important to my overall health as a human that I need to do.

Tom is continuing with The Magic Fountain, which is quite honestly way better than anything else I’ve ever been able to write, and I will be continuing on with new projects as well. You’ll be posted on new stuff soon. I promise ya that.

Chris Mann (most recent drummer) also plays in Livid. https://lividva.bandcamp.com/releases

John Fatigate (most recent guitarist) plays in Trust Fall. https://trustfall.bandcamp.com

Craig Warkoczeski makes beats under the moniker Orange Craig. https://m.soundcloud.com/theoc

PJ Larocco also plays in The Magic Fountain with Tom. https://themagicfountain.bandcamp.com

Kevin Sangalang plays in Foresterr. https://foresterr.bandcamp.com

Matt Aldawood plays in Troubled Minds. https://troubledminds.bandcamp.com

I am currently playing with Henry and will be letting y'all know about new projects as they happen. https://Henryny.bandcamp.com

Thank you all the labels we’ve worked with. Thank you all the people who’ve supported us. Thank you for all the bands we’ve played with. Thank you for everything.

It’s been a wild ride, and I hope one day we all come together as a singular unit and make a Slipknot tribute band.