This week, we're talking about two things we think are quite interesting. First off, we chat about the early mathcore/metalcore band Drowningman and reflect on why they never quite reached the heights of their peers, such as Converge and The Dillinger Escape Plan—bands they often found themselves touring with in the late 90s and early 00s. While that story is compelling in itself, Drowningman can also count themselves among the artists who tried to sabotage a contractual obligation to a record label. As the story goes, they hit the studio with Kurt Ballou (Converge, God City Studios) to record a very weird album, tentatively titled Best Album Ever. The record was never officially released; it was allegedly created with the sole intention of being purposefully bad in order to satisfy, and terminate, their two-album contract with Revelation Records. In the end it never saw the light of day. This got us thinking about other artists who have tried to escape their contractual obligations. We use this lens to take a wee sojourn into the annals of music history, unearthing stories of several big-name artists who tried, and sometimes succeeded, in doing something similar. We hope you enjoy! Highlights: 00:00 Intro 01:27 Skipping the Discourse 01:56 Viral Bands Debate 02:59 Patreon Pitch 05:37 Awkward Party Exits 06:17 Meet Drowningman 08:19 Origins and Scene 12:00 Early Releases Breakdown 16:07 Rock and Roll Killing Machine Era 21:07 Later Records and Fadeout 24:47 Did They Deserve Bigger 27:05 Contractual Obligation Albums 35:38 Ozzy Contract Loophole 36:25 Speak of the Devil Drama 38:05 Ozzy Album Aftermath 38:57 Neil Young vs Geffen 39:49 Beach Boys Owed Album 40:55 More Contract Escapes 42:40 Sisters of Mercy SSV 45:46 More Obligation Oddities 47:43 Rolling Stones Provocation 50:31 Zappa Lather Bootleg 51:25 Prince vs Warner Saga 57:42 Drowning Man Review 59:32 Track Highlights Breakdown 01:02:56 Final Verdict and Wrap 01:06:21 Outro and Thanks