UK stoner metal crew Orange Goblin have announced their impending split.
The Londoners have confirmed that their planned 2025 dates will be their last, closing the book on a three-decade-long career.
They explained the decision to part in a social media statement earlier today (January 22), writing that “now is the right time for us to focus our attention on our families and other interests outside the band”. However, they don’t rule out reuniting in the future.
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Their statement reads in full: “As Orange Goblin enters its 30th year of existence, we have made the collective decision that 2025 will be our last. Maybe not forever and who knows what could be possible further down the line.
“It’s been a wild 30 years and we have had some incredible experiences and are left with magical memories. For that we are all truly grateful. We started the band with no real preconception of what it eventually became, we started as bored teenagers with a mutual love of heavy metal, classic rock and punk rock.
“We feel very fortunate that we have been able to travel all over the world, numerous times, and have made a network of friends all around the globe. We are proud of everything we have accomplished together, we’ve always maintained a DIY ethic and done things our own way and on our terms.
“We have never compromised to fit into any specific scene and we feel we leave a very strong legacy of 10 studio albums, each one a milestone that marks exactly where we were at each point of our journey. Of this, we are fiercely proud.
“It's not been an easy decision for any of us, we have all given 30 years of our lives to this incredible band, but we feel that now is the right time for us to focus our attention on our families and other interests outside the band. We will of course be honouring all the shows and festivals we currently have planned for 2025, as well as a few other things that we have in the pipeline, but these could be your last chance to catch Orange Goblin live!”
The band continue: “We would like to express our gratitude to every single person that has made this possible for us, there are far too many to name personally, but especially to our wives and children that have supported us no matter what, our former bandmates, Martyn [Millard, bass] and Pete [O’Malley, guitars], the current and former road crew that have kept the show on the road for so long, despite us never making things easy for them.
“But last and by no means least, we thank you, the Orange Goblin fans that have been the bedrock of everything for us. Nothing we have done would've been possible without the fans that have bought the albums, the merchandise, the show tickets and ALWAYS showed us and made us feel just how appreciated we are. We thank you all from the bottom of our hearts.”
Orange Goblin formed in 1995 and have released 10 studio albums, the latest being last year’s Science, Not Fiction. As singer Ben Ward told Classic Rock, it was the band’s first record since he quit drinking.
“There’s no downside to looking after yourself, is there?” he rhetorically asked. “I’m 50 this year and I feel fitter and stronger than ever before, which is great. I fit into the trousers I haven’t worn since my teens!”
In December 2016, Ward received widespread media attention for starting a Justgiving campaign raising money for the staff of former Metal Hammer, Classic Rock and Prog publisher TeamRock, which had just gone into administration. The campaign raised £78,000 within its first five days.
See Orange Goblin’s remaining live dates via the Facebook post embedded below or through the band’s website.
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