|| The Sound Faction (dot com) ||

We all have that band that we didn’t want to see STOP making music together. That one band that meant the world to you and just a little piece of us was crushed the minute that they decided to part ways and venture off into something else. Now, granted sometimes some of the members will break off and do something of their own accord. As we all know, sometimes solo projects flourish and other times they may fall flat.

I really wanted to do a list of five bands for you all, however, I honestly had trouble coming up with five bands that meant something to me and no longer existed. However, in time I am sure that I will be back with a second instalement to this article. Without further ado here is my compiled list of the three bands/groups that I believe should not have broken up. Ready? Cause here we go.

Band: Eighteen Visions (18V)
Location: Orange County, California
Date of Inception: October 1995
R.I.P Date: April 2007
Members: James Hart, Ken Floyd, Keith Barney, Mick Morris and Trevor Friedrich

The Mainstream: In an era of the explosion of metal-core music, Eighteen Visions was right in the mix of it. A band with solid songs and a solid fan base of fans that made them a major part of the scene. They had the style and the flare that set them apart from a lot of the acts that were coming out. They released their self-titled major label release in 2006; however, with constant touring and promotion of the album they were never able to gain the success with the album that they were seeking from it. So, after six album releases the band decided that it was time for them to cut their losses and move on. Mick Morris had released this statement on the bands MySpace at the time:?“After several years of touring and quite a few album releases we have decided that it is time to go our separate ways. We have been a band for a very long time and feel good about everything we were able to accomplish. At this point in our lives and our careers we feel it’s time to move on to something fresh and new. Whether it be music, touring or just being at home to live and enjoy life. We would like to thank all of our fans, friends and families for all of the great support over the years. We would also like to thank all of the bands we have shared the stage with and everyone who has ever worked with the band, opened a door or reached out a hand. We will be playing our final two shows in April. One in San Diego and one in Orange County. Come rock with us one more time."?Therefore, that was the end of an era.

Where they are now: James Hart has ventured off into his own solo project, Burn Halo. He is currently opening for Avenged Sevenfold on nine dates of their current tour, with plans for the release of an album within the near future. Keith Barney and Trevor Friedrich have formed an alternative rock group entitled N3ver 3nough. They released their first album in November of 2007. Ken Floyd is currently working on a new wave band called Hi-Deaf. Mick Morris has been working as a tech on both the Ozzfest tour and on Hatebreed’s headlining tour of this past summer.

Links:

18V Myspace
Burn Halo Myspace
Never 3nough Myspace

Band: The Confession
Location: Orange County, California
Date of Inception: 2004/2005
R.I.P Date: January 15, 2008
Members: Taylor Holland Armstrong, Kevin Fyfe, Matt Pauling, Jeff Veta and Justin Norman.

The Mainstream: Like 18V, The Confession came out of the Orange County scene with a thirst for making their music be heard and their sound packing a powerful punch. They were able to put themselves out there to the mainstream scene back in 2006 when they opened for Avenged Sevenfold on their fall tour. They also opened for Bullet For My Valentine, Megadeath and were added to the Warped Tour lineup in 2007 and made an impression on fans. The Confession were able to drum up success in their own right, with a solid fan base that backed them and waited with baited breath for anything new. They released their full length Requim in March of 2007, with production help from Matt Sanders of Avenged Sevenfold, and featured amazing vocals with a hard pumping sound. However, like all good things, it doesn’t last for forever and in a statement on the bands on January 15 it confirmed what most fans were thinking when the band dropped off the tail end of the second Avenged tour:

“Hey guys, this is the confession, sorry it’s taken so long for us to update you guys on what’s going on, but we have been going through a lot of stuff, and we needed this time to figure out stuff in our lives. The Confession has decided to disband, we are no longer a band, a lot of things began happening towards the end in all of our lives that more or less pulled us away from the harsh tour schedule and the life of being in a band. It is no one persons fault, it’s a group decision, so there’s no one to blame, except maybe lady luck...ahahaha, but what we want to stress more than anything is that you guys, our fans we're a-fucking-mazing, we couldn’t have asked for better to people to support us and love our music...it meant and will always mean soo much to us that you guys supported us and found something meaningful in our music to connect with, it was a fucking blast doing what we did for the 3 years that we did it for..but all good things must come to an end, unfortunately our good thing ended sooner than later, but once again i have to stress you guys mean the fucking world to us...there’s going to be a big gap left in the rock metal genre now that we're gone, and we say to you guys the fans, start a band, if you love music, and fill that void, someone for christs sake bring back arena rock/metal.....look out in the future, some of the members may be still doing things in the music, whether its producing or being in a band again...we love you guys, thank you so much for the memories and support, and thank you to all the people that helped us along the way, let us stay at their house, ya know all that good shit, you guys will be branded into our memories forever....

in love and respect,
Taylor, Kevin, Matt, Jeff, Justin (formerly of The Confession)

Where they are now: No one has really heard anything from the guys since their last myspace blog update on January 30, 2008 where Matt Pauling announced that he was switching gears in his career and turning to producing music and was looking for up and coming bands that he could work with. One can only that the talent these guys had doesn’t fade into the background.

Links:

The Confession Myspace

Band: Savage Garden
Location: Brisbane, Australia
Date of Inception: 1994
R.I.P Date: October 2001
Members: Darren Hayes and Daniel Jones

The Mainstream: I think no one can forget this band, and how they transformed even the simplest love song into something ‘epic’. Who doesn’t remember Truly, Madly, Deeply? I mean it would be a crime if you didn’t know that song. This two piece band had powerful vocals and amazing music production that allowed them to spread to worldwide success. Though the band only released two commercial albums, both were highly successful and enabled them to receive numerous awards for their talent and hard work. They have 13 singles that, for most causes, were featured on a top 10 list somewhere over the world. In October 2001 it was announced that Savage Garden would be no more, with Darren Hayes stating that there would never be a chance for a reunion at all.

Where they are now: Darren Hayes, immediately started on his solo career the minute that Savage Garden (or maybe that should be maybe even before the band broke up) broke up. He has released three solo albums and has garnered much success in the UK. Daniel Jones currently owns a record label in Australia entitled Level 7 Studios.

Links:

Savage Garden Website
Darren Hayes Myspace
Level 7 Studios