Beartooth lead vocalist Caleb Shomo is standing his ground against the mixed fan reactions surrounding the band’s latest musical direction. While recently confirming that the rock act’s next studio album is completely finished, the singer made it clear that he refuses to let internet criticism dictate his creative vision.
During an appearance on the KLOS radio show “Whiplash” with host Full Metal Jackie, the frontman tackled the vocal pushback aimed at the band’s February single, “Free“. Co-written and co-produced by former Bring Me The Horizon member Jordan Fish, the track signaled a major stylistic shift for the group. It also served as their debut release under Fearless Records, dropping just as Beartooth hit the road for a massive North American arena tour supporting Bad Omens.
When questioned about how he handles the negative feedback from the fanbase who are unhappy with his evolving sound, he offered a blunt and deeply personal perspective.
“Yeah, to be completely honest, that’s totally up to them and that’s their choice. I don’t make this art solely to be gaining fans and solely [for] monetary success and critical success and all those things. Truth be told, especially with ‘Free‘, I’m really doing this for myself. I’m doing this just so I can really be putting out the most honest art that I can be putting out and be the most true depiction of myself through my art that I can give, because that’s the point of Beartooth. And I really don’t wanna shy away from that,” he said (as transcribed by Blabbermouth).
He further explained that he actively avoids reading online reviews or comments, choosing instead to focus on gratitude and his own mental well-being.
“For me, I, at least currently, am really trying not to focus at all and I’m really actively trying to stay away from hearing any of the critical reception. Obviously, on a broader scale, I see if people are listening to it, I see if people are coming to our shows, so on and so forth. But I think everybody is entitled to their opinion, and there are just inevitably going to be a lot of people that don’t like the way this sounds or maybe don’t like the way I look or the way I’m dancing or what I’m wearing, or whatever that may be. And again, that’s up to them. And all I’m trying to do is just be as honest as I can and enjoy this very, very amazing gift that I have of being able to be in a band and that be my job, and make the art that I wanna make. I understand how rare it is. I understand how blessed I am to be able to do this, so I just wanna make the most of it. And I know if I kind of get wrapped up in how people are reacting or get wrapped up in the people who don’t resonate with it, then maybe I’ll lose sight of all the people who do resonate with it. And more importantly, I’ll lose sight of the only person who truly resonates with it, and that is me. And I just wanna be happy doing what I’m doing. So, that’s all I’m trying to focus on at the moment.”
Despite the mixed response to the single, the band is moving full steam ahead. The vocalist confirmed that the highly anticipated follow-up to 2023’s The Surface is already in the can. Marking their first full-length effort for Fearless Records, he praised the label for trusting his artistic process.
“I am with Fearless Records now, and I am absolutely honored to be a part of the whole Concord universe and a part of Fearless and using their whole team. They are just so supportive and so remarkable.”
Caleb continued: “I don’t know how much I’m supposed to be talking about this, but I do have a new record done. We’re currently in the stages of figuring out how we wanna roll it out to the people and all of the crazy logistics that come along with it. But, yeah, they have provided me with such an amazing space to make this album with just unwavering support. They’ve really had to trust my process because it’s the first time we’ve ever done anything together. And everybody makes art differently, so I really appreciate their patience with me and their understanding and their support. It’s just been amazing. Yeah, musically, it’s been really, really good. And I am so proud of this album. To me, it’s just simply the best Beartooth album I could make. There’s a lot of heavy stuff, there’s a lot of the choruses, there’s a lot of the pop, there’s a lot of the screaming there. There’s all the things that I love when it comes to writing Beartooth songs, and they provided a great avenue for that.”
Earlier in March, Disturbed frontman David Draiman publicly stepped up to give his support for the young singer. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Draiman praised Shomo‘s bold self-expression, comparing his flamboyant new style to some of the greatest legends in rock history.
“Some of the greatest frontmen of all time have never held anything back, fully embracing their own aspects of flamboyance and expressing themselves as powerfully as they knew how.”
“Bowie, Mercury and so many others, took rock to a level only few dared to go, and did it with power, class and grace. I have watched Caleb Shlomo, the singer of Beartooth, become one of the most formidable young frontmen in rock. The song is great, the video is great, and the band is firing on all cylinders.”
“Bowie, Mercury and so many others, including yours truly, are PROUD OF YOU.”
Meanwhile, Attila vocalist Chris Fronzak found himself in hot water after making a homophobic remark directed at the Beartooth singer. Fronzak initially posted a since-deleted message on X stating: “Looks like Caleb Shomo dropped the ‘S.’”
Facing immediate backlash from the rock and metal community, the Attila frontman walked back his comments on Tuesday, March 3, issuing a lengthy, multi-part apology explaining his skewed perspective on internet humor.
“I would like to formally apologize for my tweet about Caleb Shomo.”
“I meant it as a joke, but it didn’t come across that way. I don’t know what he’s going through at the moment, but I wish him the best. The world has too much hate [right now] & I don’t want to add any fuel to that fire.”
“People will probably twist this into more negativity, but I am being honest. I meant it as a joke, not a jab at gay people. I personally thought it was lighthearted but I suppose that’s subjective. From my perspective – I get death threats daily for over a decade. People call me horrific things & make up terrible stories. Horrible stuff every day. My perspective is skewed, the internet has desensitized me so I thought it was a 1/10 light joke.”
“The reality is, people are struggling in their own ways, and jokes are subjective. You never know what someone is going through. Therefore, I am sorry, and I will work towards thinking about things deeper before I just word-vomit s**t into this bird app. Love yall.”
Despite the detailed apology, critics have pointed out that as of the time of his statement, Fronzak had still not deleted a separate reply to a user criticizing his original post, which contained an image bearing the text “Be quiet little g*y f****t s**ve.”
