Sometimes, life leads us down paths we least expect. As is often the case, we rarely get to go back and write a new chapter in a portion of our lives that ended long ago. There are times we should leave the past where it lies, but there are others when it is exciting and refreshing to pick up where we left off.
In the world of music, some bands’ journeys are cut short for numerous reasons, and rarely do we see them return. However, nearly two decades ago, in 2007, the Hard Rock band SubmerseD was supporting their sophomore album, Immortal Verses, and within a year, the lights went out.
Leaving many fans puzzled, considering their 2004 debut In Due Time (co-produced by Mark Tremonti) hit number sixteen on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums Charts; Immortal Verses made it to the thirty-five position; however, in 2008, Wind-up Records dropped them. A bit abrupt, the band was looking to parlay the success of the single “Better Think Again” into the single “Price of Fame,” but without a label, it was dead in the water. A major disappointment was that soon after, the band broke up, with each of the respective members going their separate ways.
So, where did they go? Interestingly enough, Vocalist Donald Carpenter would go on several projects, including the successful Eye Empire. This is while Drummer Garrett Whitlock worked with Tremonti for a good seven years before joining Wolfgang Van Halen in his band Mammoth WVH. Then there is Guitarist Eric Friedman, who is still working with Tremonti and spent much of 2024 touring with Creed. This is while Guitarist TJ Davis followed his own musical path and Bassist Kelan Luker returned to football.
All very fascinating, in 2019, the band had a partial reunion with Donald Carpenter, Eric Friedman, and Kelan Luker, who played a one-off acoustic set of SubmerseD as a benefit concert for Kelan’s brother and the band’s long-time manager, Seth. Then rumbles began to emerge that the band would be recording some new music, which arrived in the form of the new album Grand Illusion Army on September 11, 2024.
Their first album in seventeen years, the reformed SubmerseD, is led by Donald Carpenter on vocals and Kelan Luker on bass. The absence of other original members, who are obviously busy with Tremonti and Mammoth WVH, respectively, does not mean that the new collection of songs is any less exciting. Complete with seven tracks and running for a little over thirty minutes, the mood of Grand Illusion Army is rooted in a similar sound as their prior material but has a rawer feeling. Certainly, the production gives it a much less polished tone, and the songs themselves are quite passionately performed.
Condensed and wasting no time, “Broken Love,” the title-track, and “Steadfast” all immediately grab your attention. This is while “The Truth” and “Simple Life” hit hard with some great guitar work and Carpenter’s soaring vocals.
Overall, SubmerseD’s return is a big surprise to their fans, who were left dangling in the wind nearly twenty years ago. While some of Grand Illusion Army’s production is a bit rough around the edges, the quality of the songwriting still wins over here. With this stated, Carpenter recently provided an update via the band’s social media that there is an active remix process happening, which will result in a re-release of the album, most likely sometime in 2025. Something to look for, this long overdue return is a good way to write a new entry in their unfinished story. That is why Cryptic Rock gives Grand Illusion Army 4 out of 5 stars.
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