Ataraxia Parts With Vocalist Brandon Zemel

Vocalist Brandon Zemel has issued the following announcement about parting ways with New Jersey's Ataraxia:

"Hey everyone, it'd be a lie to say this has been a long time in the making, cause it hasn't at all. It came almost just as much of a surprise to the guys as it did to me, even though I knew a little bit before they did: I'm going to college! Who knew? My entire high school career, I was like 'fuck college, I don't need it,' but eventually I came around. I toyed with the idea of staying in New Jersey, then I looked at University of New Haven in Connecticut for Criminal Justice. I joined the National Guard back in December, but was discharged last month because I couldn't meet the PT standards.

"When I was in the Guard, the plan was that I would ship to Basic and Advanced training from July 12 to the end of November, and the band would use that time to write new material that I would put lyrics to upon my return. The end of the Guard brought that plan to an end. So, I needed a new plan that didn't involve criminal justice, since early discharge from the Guard would almost certainly take me out of the running for any law enforcement job since so many military veterans are going for them.

"The new plan became college once again, majoring in Business Administration. Since I hadn't been applying to colleges because of the Guard (which would require me to train when Fall semesters start), I had to rush to find a college that a) I liked, and b) I could still get into (especially considering my lack of good grades in high school). That led me to find Palm Beach State College in Florida. I applied, got in, and chose that school.

"You can all see where this is going; going to college in Florida spells the end for my time in Ataraxia. It's honestly been the most productive, most fun, and best band I've ever been in. With Ataraxia I recorded an EP, played out numerous times to crowds of all sizes, got a tremendous amount of experience working as a band (not pretty much on my own like I did in all my previous bands), and spent over a year putting heart, soul, and money into a project that I hoped would be a long-lasting experience. I also met a bunch of great people who I plan to stay in contact with.

"How I landed myself in Ataraxia still boggles my mind. I put up an ad on Craigslist and got three offers I seriously considered. One of them was for a band called Copper Mine, a pop-rock/alternative rock band in New York. They were the first to respond and would have been my choice had their practices not been over an hour and a half away. They were very different from what I was used to but I was cool with it. But I'm glad I didn't do it because two other incredible offers came along.

"The first of those was from signed band Dark Empire. I was jumping at the shot to become their new vocalist; the only issue was that they were planning to tour full time and I would have had to leave high school and pursue an online GED. At about the same time, I got an email from Chris from Ataraxia saying they had just gotten a new guitarist but had to get him ready before they brought me in. After two weeks with no word, I was getting ready to accept Dark Empire's offer when I got an email from Chris saying they were ready. I tried out for Ataraxia and, somehow, they asked me to join (I wasn't on top of my game at all that day, and personally I thought I sucked having not had vocal practice with a band in a long time).

"I had to figure out what I'd do. I had a feeling there'd be too many issues with Dark Empire, so I decided to go with Ataraxia. While everyone tell me, 'dude you should have gone with the signed band!' I think I made the right choice. I met some incredible people with Ataraxia, from the founding members Chris and Steve, to the guitarist who was the 'new guy' when I joined, Ryan, to the other guitarists after him, Matt, other Matt, and the current guitarist Alex, to the fill-in lead guitarist for now, Roy, to Roy's band Antares and everyone in it, to Chris' girlfriend Aly who has yet to miss a single show, even when it's at my high school, to all the fans who came out and saw us and bought a ticket or CD or shirt or hoodie or sticker or button, and anyone else I'm forgetting.

"In short, Ataraxia has been easily the best musical experience of my life, and it's really fuckin' high up there on the general list of experiences of my life. I will absolutely never forget the shows, the practices, the crotch-punching post-practice experiences, the hookahing, and just having a good time with everyone. One of the best feelings in my life was having kids come up to me after our last show, kids from my school who I know hate metal and would never listen to it and come up to me and say 'hey dude, your band is awesome!'and then proceed to buy merch from us, and I will absolutely never forget that.

"Future wise, if we have any fans in Florida, keep a lookout cause I will sure as hell be looking for a new band as soon as I get down there. I know the guys tried out a new vocalist today and decided to accept him into the band, so keep a lookout for new stuff from them. I wanted to make clear, finally, that I have no intention of losing contact with the guys and I'm parting ways with Ataraxia on the best terms that anyone has left this band with in a very long time. I'll miss it a lot, but hey, future calls right?"