Image: Breakdown of Sanity [Official press photo]
A (live) comeback like that of Breakdown of Sanity must be celebrated. We're doing that by giving you a comprehensive introduction to the band.
The Swiss Metalcore band Breakdown of Sanity made music for ten years before disbanding. But then they made a comeback in 2020, the year of the Corona pandemic, and gave the community a few good moments to remember. Today, we summarize how all of this came about!
Starting Days & Members
Breakdown of Sanity are one of those bands that can remain almost unchanged for years. The group from Bern, Switzerland was founded in 2007. Oliver Stingel got things rolling after his previous band Paranoia disbanded. He wrote songs that needed a new band. Carlo Knöpfel joined as the singer, but there was no drummer at first. César Gonin, a former bandmate in Paranoia, took over on bass. And finally, Thomas Rindlisbacher joined as the drummer - he had previously been active with Mortal Hatred. The second guitar was initially played by Sandro Keusen, but was soon replaced by Christoph Gygax.
The Fanbase Grows
BOS released four studio albums, all self-produced. The starting shot was The Last Sunset in 2009. According to many fans, it's a prime example of a Metalcore album, with songs like "Cancer's Breath" and "My Heart In Your Hands" being very popular. In 2011 came Mirrors, with strong tracks like "Story Of A Stranger" and "When Silence Breaks" right at the beginning. Anyone who loves breakdowns will definitely love this album too. The third album Perception from 2013 received really good reviews and also includes the most streamed songs of the band on Spotify. "The Writer" and "The Gift" must be mentioned first, but the album is consistently a metalcore banger where the band lives up to their name. In the same year, Breakdown of Sanity went on the Impericon Progression Tour 2013, together with well-known acts from the scene such as Architects, August Burns Red and Callejon. New music came again in 2016 with the album Coexistence, where tracks like "New World" and the title track "Coexistence" are fan favorites. A typical fat BOS album, but it was their last before their dissolution in 2017.
Breakup And Comeback
On May 11th, Breakdown of Sanity shared the difficult decision with their fans. In a post they wrote about the great time they had during their ten years as a band and thanked their supporters sincerely. The band parted ways completely amicably and even stated that in the future there could still be songs, an EP or a project from the band members possible. However, at that time it was important for the group to dedicate their lives to a new chapter. Therefore they announced a farewell tour where they could celebrate once more.
"We will keep every single moment we shared with this band and our fans in our hearts forever. THANK YOU so much for everything! For every buyed ticket, song, album, shirt or chat. You made Breakdown of Sanity what it is today. <3"
And in 2020 there was actually a glimmer of hope for fans again. A new post on social media announced:
"Time to make 2020 a little better - September 25th."
However, on that date there wasn't just an announcement from the band about returning with new inspiration but also a new single! "Traces" was the first precursor to several singles that would follow in the future. In 2021 "Black Smoke" came out and "Collapse" in 2023!
In their message, Breakdown of Sanity wrote that while they want to work on music with newfound passion they didn't plan to play concerts for the time being, so they can invest more time into making music, which is now their focus as a band.
Live Outlook: The Impericon Festivals 2024
Now what about "not playing concerts"? It has been over three years since BOS's comeback now, so it's clear that as a band you eventually miss the live atmosphere.
"Being away from the stages of this world for more than 6 years is a long time, especially when you see how many of you are still celebrating our music since then (which honors us a lot!)."
That's why they immediately announced their first live dates again. This spring, Breakdown of Sanity will return to the Impericon Festivals! They will finally be back on stage in Hamburg, Leipzig, Oberhausen and Munich. Many old acquaintances will be there too, such as August Burns Red and Callejon. So get your tickets now and experience Breakdown of Sanity's live comeback soon!
Please note that lineups may differ between cities.
