South Australia's I Killed the Prom Queen have called it a day. The band cited their inability to find a replacement vocalist as well as their loss of guitarist Jona Weinhofen to Bleeding Through.
The band's U.S. touring plans have consequently been cancelled, however a final tour of their home country Australia is currently being planned.
The band released two full-lengths during their tenure: 2004's When Goodbye Means Forever (Hand of Hope / Good Life) and 2006's Music for the Recently Deceased (Stomp [Australia] / Metal Blade [USA/Canada] / Golf [UK/Europe]).
To Our beloved fans and friends,
We regret to announce that I Killed The Prom Queen will no longer continue as a band. The final nail in the coffin came when Jona was asked to join USA Metal group Bleeding Through as second guitarist. This, coupled with our inability to find a replacement vocalist, aided the decision to end the band.
We would all like to sincerely thank all our friends and family and our label's Stomp, Metal Blade, Golf and Howling Bull records for their ongoing support of IKTPQ and most of all we would like to thank all the fans that made the last 7 years the most amazing years of our lives. We feel that we made a good impact on the Australian and world wide music scenes.
We also apologise for the cancellation of our upcoming USA tour-dates.
The band will announce a final farewell Australian tour in the coming months.
Each member issued the following personal statements:
Jona's statement
For anyone who doesn't know, IKTPQ has been my life for the last 7 years. I was a co-founding member, active songwriter and the band's manager for the past 2 years. A lot has happened in those 7 years mostly good, some bad, but I would not trade any of it for anything in the world.
Thanks to IKTPQ I got to live out not just one, but many of my dreams and aspirations. Everything from playing to fans who love our music to meeting and supporting my heroes' band's on tour and seeing parts of the world I thought I would never see. Best of all was having the chance to meet new and awesome people all over the world who I am proud to call my friends.
JJ Peters, Kevin Cameron and Sean Kennedy are my 3 closest friends. I have lived in a room, studio, van, bus, car, aeroplane with these guys for 5 years now and I know them better then I know myself. These guys continue to surprise me every day. They are all amazing people, incredible musicians and songwriters and the best friends anyone could ever hope for. I couldn't have asked for a better team. This causes me a great deal of pain, making my decision to leave the band so difficult.
I wish my friends, JJ, Sean and Kev the best of luck in their future endeavours and I have no doubt that they will be 1000 times as successful than we ever were with IKTPQ and I want everyone to know that I will always be their number one supporter.
A huge thanks to everyone who ever supported us in anyway and lastly please never forget I Killed The Prom Queenâ¦
Sean's statement
I'd like to thank every single person who has supported i killed the prom queen over the many years, it has been the most amazing time in my entire life and i am so appreciative that ive had the opportunity to share the stage with my brothers and share all the same experiences… thank you.
JJ's statement
In the past 7 years playing with IKTPQ I have seen the world many times over, met some life long friends, experienced things I would never have dreamed of, shared the stage, van, hotel, bed, floor, bus with some of the best friends ill ever have and played to the greatest fans any band could ever ask for.
As sad as I am to see it end, I am more great full for all these things then anything else.
I would like to say thank you to everyone and anyone who has supported us through all these years and made IKTPQ what it is. I sincerely thank you all from the bottom of my heart.
Peace. JJKTPQ.
Kevin's statement
It's so hard to compress every feeling about this into a short statement, and as anyone who knows me would know I've never been one to say a lot.
As much as this is a disappointing end, I'm glad we haven't carved a malicious eulogy to a reasonably successful career, one which I feel as though exceeded any expectations the four of us ever had, when years ago going interstate for more than a week was a big deal to now when most our years were spent away from home, playing our music to thousands of appreciative fans the world over.
I feel we made quite an impact on the Australian music scene, paving the way for countless new bands over the years, and whether they admit it or not I feel we introduced a lot of people to this type of music which may now be a huge part of their lives, and I think that's something to be proud of.
Just as I didn't think I would be writing this so soon, I honestly never thought by age 20 I would have been to basically every part of the globe, and especially just from standing behind a guitar.
In retrospect I wish I had appreciated this far more: doing things most people only dream about and meeting some amazing people along the way who I hope will still remain my friends, band or no band. I'm grateful for all the experiences along the way. It's been a great ride! Thanks
Darren Cherry from the bands label Stomp Entertainment commented:
This is a HUGE blow for Australian heavy music and the tens of thousands of IKTPQ fans around the world. The band were just beginning to hit their stride and I feel that the best was yet to come. Having said that it was a pleasure to work with such an enthusiastic and dedicated band and their achievements speak for themselves. I'm sure it's not the last we have heard from these guys either as a collective or as individuals.