In November, Fu Manchu announced the departure of their drummer, Brant Bjork. According to singer/guitarist Scott Hill, Bjork “started to realize that he didn’t want to commit to the year or so of touring with us” and left the band.

“We wish Brant all the best, but we can’t let his leaving slow us down,” said bassist Brad Davis. “We are excited to be getting back on tour and start playing the new album for our fans.”

Fu Manchu had several tours in the pipe over this year, but were forced to cancel due to one reason or another – hand sprain, still working on the album, September 11, and the like.

The band has gotten around, though. They spent months on the road in 2000 supporting Motorhead, Anthrax and Sevendust, as well as headlining their own club dates.

“It doesn’t matter to us where we play as long as we can turn it up loud,” band leader Scott Hill told Pollstar. “I like playing smaller places just because you can hear everything better and when you’re in a huge place, the sound gets lost. But it doesn’t matter to us. We’ll play wherever.”