Back on January 17th, metalcore act Every Time I Die announced their breakup. With issues involving that of singer Keith Buckley, rhythm guitarist Andy Williams released a statement via Twitter regarding the current state and future of Every Time I Die. In that tweet, Williams wrote, “Andy, Jordan, Steve and Goose’s last show with Every Time I Die was Dec 11, 2021. While we hoped to come to an agreed upon legal statement that outlined the truth, we were informed today of something planned to be released not mutually agreed upon that consists of inaccuracies and controls a narrative to benefit one.”
He goes on to say, “…Every time I Die was these 5 members, and we were never budging or accepting any changes. Simply, there is zero truth about the band continuing with a new singer.”
Since then, there has been a heated back and forth, with Buckley denying the band’s version of events, and bassist Steve Micciche releasing a lengthy account regarding Buckley’s unhinged demands and behavior.
But now, there could possibly be some light in Every Time I Die’s future. As reported by Metal Hammer, during a spoken word gig on February 7th at the Signature Brew Brewery in London, Buckley spoke to the crowd about the breakup and what has been going on in his life. He mentions a “toxic sibling rivalry” between himself and his younger brother, guitarist Jordan Buckley.
“The term ‘artist’ never came up in my family,” Buckley told the crowd. “We never referred to each other as artists, we just kinda existed. And it wasn’t until I got sober that I realized that that artistic spark is fundamental to every venture that you do as a human being, and if that spark isn’t there, then there’s no energy to push you into the next thing.
“So once I got sober and I realized that that spark in me had just been caked with resentment and anger and confusion and a lack of faith in anything, I saw it for what it was. And it was this poor little thing that was inside of me from the beginning, that made me want to be a writer, that made me want to be a musician, that made me want to go on tour, that then made me figure out how to deal with life in the public eye…
“There’s been something that’s been driving me on,” he continued. “I think that it’s an objective fact that Every Time I Die existed for longer than most bands, so there was something in that formula that was alchemic, that was completely singular to us. And I think it was the rivalry… I think it was just those two forces constantly battling which kept pushing the band along. And once I got sober, and I realized that that was a very antiquated way to power shit… [I thought] we don’t need to push the band forward with negativity, we can talk about things now.”
Buckley then goes on to add, “I went to the band, and I went to the manager at the time, and I said, ‘I fucked up a lot’. “A lot of it was because of my drinking, a lot of it was exacerbated by a co-dependent marriage, but I said I’m on to that now, now we can really just address the problems that aren’t coming in from any outside sources, now it’s us. That’s all I ever tried to do.”
Buckley takes the time to speak to the turmoil he has been experiencing in his personal life, with much focus on his struggles with alcoholism. He shares how he wanted the band to climb, but was also in need of addressing his issues. Later on in the talk, he shares the following:
“…It’s heartbreaking, heartbreaking. However, it is not the end of anything: I can’t even say what the state of the band is right now.
“I don’t know what the future holds, but I know that, right now, this is exactly where I fucking want to be, and I’m very thankful to be here.”
If Buckley is able to get things back on track in his life, could this mean that Every Time I Die could come back together? There is no telling, but it’s good to see Buckley take control of his situation and do what he needs to in order to be healthier for himself and his loved ones.
Every Time I Die formed in 1998 and have released nine studio albums; their latest release is that of 2021’s Radical.
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Words by: Michael Pementel
