Original BREAKER Vocalist Forced To Cancel Reunion Appearances

April 15, 2008

Original BREAKER vocalist Jim Hamar, who sang on the classic 1987 "Get Tough!" album, has been forced to cancel his reunion appearances with the band at this summer's Bang Your Head!!! festival in Balingen, Germany. Doctors a few days ago diagnosed "vocal cord fold polyps" and immediately scheduled Hamar for surgery this week. Fortunately at this time they do not appear to be cancerous. The recovery and rehabilitation time will extend through the entire summer.

"The news came as a complete shock to all of us", says Auburn Records president Bill Peters. "The band had been rehearsing on a regular basis for months and getting along fantastic together just like the old days. It was a very emotional moment when Jim informed everyone in person of the situation. There was not a dry eye in the room. This reunion really meant a lot to Jim. Our thoughts and prayers are with him through this very difficult time". Adds BREAKER drummer Mark Klein: "All of the band are sad that Jim won't be with BREAKER at the Bang Your Head!!! festival. While we'll miss him there alongside us, we're also very concerned for his health and are wishing him a quick and smooth recovery".

Greg Wagner (SHATTER MESSIAH, H.A.T.E.) will replace Hamar on vocals for the Bang Your Head!!! festival appearance. "Jim gave his full blessings and was insistent we not cancel and find a way to continue on to play the festival with another singer," adds Peters.

Wagner was BREAKER's regular singer before the reunion was put together.

"I am deeply sorry for this unfortunate turn of events, Jim is a class act", states Wagner. "This band, with or without me, is held in such high regard in the metal underground and should continue on. I have enough time to prepare and be ready."

The band will perform 25 songs at its two Bang Your Head!!! shows, including new and not often heard rarities from their past.

Wagner performed with BREAKER in Germany at its 2004 headlining Headbanger's Open Air festival appearance and was overwhelming accepted by their diehard European fan base.

In other news, BREAKER has been in Noise Floor Studios in Cleveland, Ohio with producer Don Depew recording an album of brand new original material scheduled to be released on Auburn Records in time for the Bang Your Head!!! festival. Hamar was preparing to record his vocals this month but will not be able to with the latest developments. Wagner will finish the recording.

"Jim wanted nothing more than to play Bang Your Head!!! and to see all of our friends and fans again", says Mark Klein. "We promise that he'll be right there on stage with us in spirit!"

Visit www.auburnrecords.com for more information.

Find more on

Prev More News Next

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).