Possible BROKEN HOPE reunion

Jeremy Wagner: Well, I'm going to tell you something now that I haven't mentioned to any other website or magazine. Three months ago, the original BROKEN HOPE sat down for the first time, face to face, in about six years, and we discussed — like the BLUES BROTHERS — putting the old band back together. I'll tell you how it happened real quick: Shaun Glass heard from Joe Ptacek, who I haven't heard from in years, and over time a lot of bands have been referring to BROKEN HOPE as one of their influences — the guys from SLIPKNOT are big friends of mine, for example, and when they brought out their first album, they actually went and said that BROKEN HOPE had been a huge influence on them. And as time has gone on, a lot of bands have been coming out of the woodwork and talking about us. Then in the last year, we've had a couple of booking agents get in touch with us, and they've talked about putting us together and putting us on tour. So I talk to Shaun all the time anyway, he mentioned that he and Joe had been speaking and that he was really into the idea of getting back together again. Brian Griffin is the tour manager for LAMB OF GOD these days, so he's busy as fuck, and Shaun Glass is busy with SOIL all the time. But long story short, the four of us communicated, agreed to meet up when time allowed, and that happened about three months ago. So the way it will work is that once we all have a bit of downtime, we'll put aside a couple of weeks to rehearse and we'll play a couple of shows to start us off. The only way we're doing it, is doing it fucking right — full spectrum of all the albums, booked properly and advertised properly, and if it happens it will be a proper reunion with all the members. Then we'll go from there, and see where it all takes us. Some of the people that have approached us are the people that helped put OBITUARY back together, so there you go.



That could be a cool come back, couldn't it?

Yeah indeed, this was a good band not the most awesome but they released some cool stuff. I wonder if they will follow the path of "Grotesque blessings" or came back to more brutal stuff...

Wait & slip

Jim wrote:

Yeah indeed, this was a good band not the most awesome but they released some cool stuff. I wonder if they will follow the path of "Grotesque blessings" or came back to more brutal stuff...

Wait & slip

Yes, I'd be curious to hear their new stuffs.
I'm not sure if they'd come back to rawer, more straight to the face, the way they did at the beginnings... It was some kind of evolution to more technical music, that would make it hard for them to avoid all the technics... And since technical death/ brutal death isn't especially underrated, they might keep on doing their thing

Ps: Fais gaffe, "Slip" en anglais ça n'a rien à voir avec le calebard... Ca veut dire glisser... Je me suis déjà fait avoir

I love "Swamped in Gore" but i love "Bowels of repugnance" the best,fuck that album is sick as fuck,"Peeled" is one of the best songs ever!! I felt that "Repulsive conception" was a good album just not as fast,or straight forward as i would have liked it to be.I think "Loathing" was excellent,it was back to form and more sick.I didn't like "Grotesque Blessings" that much,the feeling had left the band imo.

Blabbermouth.net have posted the following news: Joe Ptacek, former vocalist of the long-defunct 1990s Illinois Death Metal band BROKEN HOPE, died last night (Wednesday, January 20) of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. He was 37 years old.


For those who'd like to hear the band: http://www.myspace.com/brokenhopefansite

R.I.P

Former BROKEN HOPE guitarist Jeremy Wagner has released the following statement to BLABBERMOUTH.NET regarding Ptacek's passing:

"It's with profound sadness and shock that [I report that] my friend and former bandmate — Joe Ptacek — has died.

"Joe was my high-school friend who formed a death-metal band with me called BROKEN HOPE. We always dreamed of putting out albums and touring the world. After graduating, we achieved a lot of those dreams and released five albums, performed worldwide, appeared in countless international magazines and did a video for MTV. We were on Metal Blade Records and met all of our heroes and performed everywhere…

"Not bad for two teenagers out of Wildwood, Illinois.

"After 2000, Joe and I lost touch until just a few years ago. In recent months, we reconnected, hung out and became friends again. I just chatted with him after the New Year as he and I had found a drummer and a rehearsal spot where we were to begin working to bring back a new, resurrected form of BROKEN HOPE.

"As of late, Joe was positive, healthy and had a mature and humble attitude that made me happy to see.

"I'm thankful to have known him in my lifetime and to have traveled many a mile and share many a stage with such an original character. Moreover, I'm thankful to have hugged him and to have made him smile the last time we were together. Why he chose to take his life, I'll never even begin to fathom, but I pray he's in a better place.

"So, to all of you extreme metal heads out there, I ask you to raise a toast in memory of Joe Ptacek, the absolute, hands down MOST BRUTAL DEATH-METAL VOCALIST EVER!

"Joe, I love you and I will miss you, brother…

"Your friend (who you affectionately called, Peck): Jeremy Wagner"

Added former BROKEN HOPE bassist Shaun Glass (current guitarist in DIRGE WITHIN):

"Today the loss of my friend and former bandmate Joe Ptacek comes way too soon.

"Joe was one of the most honest and unique guys I ever had the chance to be in a band with. Joe was, to me, the epitome of a death metal singer. I always said Joe was the 'real deal.'

"So please, remember Joe on this day and know that we all lost a great guy.

"Love you, bro."

BROKEN HOPE released five albums during the 1990s — all featuring Joe Ptacek on vocals:

1991: "Swamped in Gore"
1993: "The Bowels of Repugnance"
1995: "Repulsive Conception"
1997: "Loathing"
1999: "Grotesque Blessings"

Joe Ptacek: May 1, 1972 - January 20, 2010