This week, we're talking about two things we think are quite interesting. First off, we chat about the early mathcore/metalcore band Drowningman and reflect on why they never quite reached the heights of their peers, such as Converge and The Dillinger Escape Plan—bands they often found themselves touring with in the late 90s and early 00s.

While that story is compelling in itself, Drowningman can also count themselves among the artists who tried to sabotage a contractual obligation to a record label. As the story goes, they hit the studio with Kurt Ballou (Converge, God City Studios) to record a very weird album, tentatively titled Best Album Ever. The record was never officially released; it was allegedly created with the sole intention of being purposefully bad in order to satisfy, and terminate, their two-album contract with Revelation Records. In the end it never saw the light of day.

This got us thinking about other artists who have tried to escape their contractual obligations. We use this lens to take a wee sojourn into the annals of music history, unearthing stories of several big-name artists who tried, and sometimes succeeded, in doing something similar.

We hope you enjoy! Highlights:

00:00 Intro

01:27 Skipping the Discourse

01:56 Viral Bands Debate

02:59 Patreon Pitch

05:37 Awkward Party Exits

06:17 Meet Drowningman

08:19 Origins and Scene

12:00 Early Releases Breakdown

16:07 Rock and Roll Killing Machine Era

21:07 Later Records and Fadeout

24:47 Did They Deserve Bigger

27:05 Contractual Obligation Albums

35:38 Ozzy Contract Loophole

36:25 Speak of the Devil Drama

38:05 Ozzy Album Aftermath

38:57 Neil Young vs Geffen

39:49 Beach Boys Owed Album

40:55 More Contract Escapes

42:40 Sisters of Mercy SSV

45:46 More Obligation Oddities

47:43 Rolling Stones Provocation

50:31 Zappa Lather Bootleg

51:25 Prince vs Warner Saga

57:42 Drowning Man Review

59:32 Track Highlights Breakdown

01:02:56 Final Verdict and Wrap

01:06:21 Outro and Thanks

Rock and Roll Killing Machine by Drowningman