On What The Band Could Have Been, Before Tragedy Struck

"Back in '98, we were gonna blow up. We were right there... Then one day, it was over," Snot axeman Mikey Doling reflects. "I can't tell you what we were going to be, but all of our other buddies went on, like System Of A Down, Incubus, Limp Bizkit, Papa Roach — all those bands we were playing with that were not famous yet — blew up."

The Californian act's career is one of missed opportunities, a real "what if?" prospect. They issued debut full-length, 1997's Get Some, and were gaining considerable traction when singer Lynn Strait died in a car accident the following year. They disbanded (later releasing the Strait Up "tribute" album) without entertaining the idea of finding another vocalist.

"We were signed to Geffen Records, for a huge fucking push from the record company," the guitarist recalls. "We were on MTV, charting on the radio, selling shitloads of records, and we stopped. We were like, 'No way, we're not getting a new singer, we're not fucking AC/DC. We can't do it.' We were just so hurt by losing our friend, not that AC/DC... I love them. But we just couldn't move forward. We were devastated. It took a long time to heal. [Now] we've got this back, and we're so appreciative to have it."

"We didn't just get a new singer and carry on, we took fucking 15 years off."

Snot were perhaps among that last generation of bands, heavy or otherwise, who could potentially enjoy multi-platinum certifications and ensuing free-wheeling major label budgets. They had a taste of such success, but didn't reap rewards to the fullest extent. "We definitely were in that last shiny rock'n'roll era, where there were hotel rooms, chicks and blow, MTV and radio. Radio people taking you out to party, record company people spending money on you... We were living that, what was the rock'n'roll lifestyle at the time. I watched it go away. Not just Snot; I was in Soulfly and I did a couple of other bands. I watched all that shit go away, and become a do-it-yourself industry."

Doling now plays with Channel Zero and produces bands, while Snot eventually reconvened amid a drastically altered music business landscape. "We didn't just get a new singer and carry on, we took fucking 15 years off. We all remained friends, all remained playing in other bands and supporting each other. One day, I was like, 'Fuck, while we're young enough, let's get together and jam, see what it feels like.' We got together and it fit like a glove again. When we play together, it just works."

Although Tommy Vext substituted, the band were actively seeking a "keeper singer". Long-time friend Carl Bensley was recently recruited as their official frontman, and they've been performing Get Some. They don't want to solely remain a nostalgia act either, with plans for an LP.

"If you want to keep touring you can't keep touring on a record that's 18 years old, for long. We can go out there and play our songs, but we're definitely, eventually we're gonna write. I don't know how it's gonna come out yet and we haven't found a home for it, got a deal. But we're definitely gonna write some songs."