ADEMA Signs With CLEOPATRA RECORDS; New Album Due In 2025

In a new interview with Radioactive MikeZ, host of the 96.7 KCAL-FM program "Wired In The Empire", ADEMA guitarist/vocalist Tim Fluckey spoke about the recent departure of the band's previous singer, Ryan Shuck, who joined the group in 2019. Asked what happened to cause the "divorce", Tim said: "I don't know if I would characterize it as a divorce. And Ryan — I'll start by saying we wish Ryan and Amir [Derakh, Ryan's bandmate in JULIEN-K] the best, for sure. It's nothing like that. And there's maybe a kind of a divergence of —and he can say what he wants to say — just kind of things like… We knew from the beginning, let's say, that he was in another band and that he was helping us out, and that we needed somebody in the band, including Amir, to be around. And for people don't know Amir was in ORGY with Ryan and they've been partners for years. And they don't just do music together; it's kind of definitely a package thing. But it just came to a point where, and even in his own words, he knew that it was somehow temporary. We just didn't know how temporary. And so it just came down to our band was heading in one direction as far as how we wanted to do what we're gonna do — like massive amounts of touring, get these new songs out and take advantage of what our band's about. And then his band was doing his thing. And it really was one of those things, we just [went], 'Do we do this now or do we do it six months from now? Do we do it two years from now? And so it was just pretty much, 'We're doing it now.'"

Regarding the progress of the songwriting sessions for ADEMA's long-awaited new album, Tim said: "We've been writing music for years now, and so we have a bunch of music. But also it was logistics of kind of putting it out. As soon as we parted ways with Ryan, we signed a record deal. And so we're on a timeline to do a record and get it done, and like any other record deal, get it out there. And so we've been sitting on a lot of music. And so we kind of focused on the timing of the Ryan thing and we were focused on the tour that we just did. And then now that we're back, we're doing some one-off shows. But most of what we're doing is concentrating on just getting this record done and making sure it's the best thing we can do."

As for a possible release date for the new ADEMA record, Tim said: "Yeah, we're trying to get it done by the end of the year. I mean, we're gonna get it done before the end of the year. What happens with us is, we've done a lot of independent stuff. And we're the kind of people, like, if you give us a date or something, then we can do that. We've always been able to do that. We somehow become organized and become the best pre-production band in history. But then when it's just up to us, we're, like, 'All right. Okay. Next week. Well, two weeks.' That tends to happen. I think probably most people do that. So now we're actually excited to have an actual deadline."

He continued: "You don't want normal people in a band, because that would be boring, that have normal habits and can actually function all the time, but when it comes to that, you kind of wanna be told, like, 'Hey, we've gotta get this done.' So, yeah, we're capable of that, I guess, is what I'm saying."

Asked which label will be releasing the next ADEMA album, Tim said: "Well, it hasn't been officially announced, and I said something on a radio interview last week that went up on Blabbermouth in, like, four minutes. But I don't think it's that big a secret. It's Cleopatra, and this is the first time I've announced it, so I'm sure that will be announced. We'll see if they're cool with that or not. But I'm sure they're fine with it. So it's Cleopatra."

Last month, Tim told the 97.7 QLZ radio station about the musical direction of the new ADEMA material: "I don't know if everybody knows, but everybody in the band is original members. So we really want it to be just an all-in ADEMA record where everybody goes, 'That's ADEMA.' We've strayed a little bit over the years, 'cause we had different members, but I think now that we're back together, it's gonna be back to those days of the real ADEMA sound."

Asked if he will be handling lead vocals on the upcoming ADEMA album, Fluckey said: "On the new one, I will be, yeah. We're done picking singers. We're terrible at it."

This past February, ADEMA "abruptly" parted ways with Shuck. A short time later, the remaining members of ADEMA — Fluckey, Dave DeRoo (bass),Kris Kohls (drums) and Mike Ransom (rhythm guitar) — posted a message on social media in which they said: "ADEMA has made the decision to move forward without Ryan Shuck. Our plan is to continue on indefinitely as a four-piece, and we sincerely wish Ryan all the best in the future."

In June 2022, ADEMA released a new song, "Violent Principles". It was the follow-up to ADEMA's first single in nearly a decade, "Ready To Die", which came out in August 2021. Both tracks were planned for inclusion on ADEMA's upcoming album, which was tentatively titled "360 Degrees Of Separation".

Original ADEMA frontman Marky Chavez first
left ADEMA in 2004 due to "creative differences" after two successful albums, "Adema" and "Unstable". The singer — who is the half brother of KORN frontman Jonathan Davis — quit ADEMA again in January 2011 in order to pursue his "solo project." He rejoined the group again six years later and played his first comeback show with ADEMA in May 2017 at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California.

After Chavez's original exit from ADEMA, the other members of the band found their way with new lead singers Luke Caraccioli and later Bobby Reeves, while Mark founded MIDNIGHT PANIC with his cousin Peter Shubert. He also produced fellow artists.

ADEMA's last official release was 2013's "Topple The Giants" EP. The group's first CD since 2007's "Kill The Headlights" contained brand new tracks plus re-worked versions of ADEMA's chart-topping hits "Giving In" and "Unstable". A three-song EP, "The Cerberus", was sold exclusively on ADEMA's 2023 "Nu Metal Madness 2" tour.

Photo courtesy of ADEMA