Doug Sabolick: A Life Once Lost’s Break Took ‘Longer Than We Wanted’

A Life Once Lost weren't anticipating an extended break after the release of 2007's 'Iron Gag.' The band's label, Ferret, was experiencing a shift at the top regarding those who ran the once-boutique label, and the band shielded itself from the business of the business, planning to cut ties, write immediately, do demos, get a new record deal and go from there. The band headlined, played in Alaska, took two weeks off and ... didn't exactly reboot.

"I got hit by a car on my bike, so that put me out of commission," guitarist Doug Sabolick told Noisecreep about his accident last June. "I had bad vertigo for two months after; I could not get out of bed for a few weeks, so that put a damper on things." The guitarist doesn't want your sympathy, though; he ran a stop sign and "got leveled by a car." He admits that he was at fault.

Sabolick continued, "We got a little lazy, but when we hooked up with a new manager, we got things going again, started writing the rest of the record and we had been making demos, since me and my brother have a studio in Philly. We probably have 12 or 13 songs demoed, and we were in negotiations with a label for six months, then that fizzled. So we've got some catching up to do.

"The break ended up taking longer than we wanted. We did not expect a lull, but we had been on road since 2005 through 2009, and everyone's home life was nonexistent. After 'Iron Gag,' we went back to square one, since we were gone for so long. We wanted to live a normal life for a little bit, real life gets boring after a while, so we'll try and balance this time."

The full record is done and the band posted the new song 'Expression of Hate' online, which should remind fans that ALOL are still ready to take your head off with their polyrhythmic, tech-crunch metal. He admitsthey took a "left turn with 'Iron Gag' by being a little more rocking," but he teases that this new, as-yet-untitled album is a return to "what was our calling card: nonstop pummeling." That's exactly what made their 2005's 'Hunter' so devastating.

Sabolick also revealed that he is fully recovered and the vertigo is gone. He had a somewhat similar high profile accident in the past; he was hit in the head with an object while in the crowd at Ozzfest one summer. It was an accident where he joked that wasn't even legally compensated enough to buy a used car. "My head has been getting pummeled throughout my life," he laughed. "At Ozzfest, I got hit with the cannon that shoots the confetti! At least I am still thinking correctly ... I think."