Toward the start of this year, Internal Bleeding drummer and FDNY firefighter Bill Tolley tragically passed away after falling five stories whilst battling a fire in Queens, NY. Internal Bleeding took some time to grieve, though vowed to carry on with shows as a tribute to Tolley.
Now Internal Bleeding has made the announcement that it'll continue on as a band with Foaming at the Mouth drummer Kyle Eddy behind the kit. Eddy is the fill-in drummer Internal Bleeding used after Tolley's passing for its tour.
Internal Bleeding cites Tolley's past sentiments that should he ever be incapable of being there for the band, he thought the band should carry on.
Losing a beloved friend and band mate has been a traumatic event for us, and needless to say, the past few months have been a roller coaster of conflicting emotions. But, through it all, there was never a thought given to packing this band up and calling it quits. There was no doubt in our mind that Bill would want the band to continue. As a matter of fact, he spoke about it numerous times with us. In short, he always said, ‘the band needs to go on.’
We’re not quite sure how we managed, but we pulled off a full US tour with a fill-in drummer who only had a few weeks to practice and get the set down. That drummer was upstate New York native, and deathmetal veteran Kyle Eddy. He did an amazing job learning the music, getting the set down, and fit in perfectly with our personalities. We had a great time with him on tour, and it felt like he’d been in the band for years – that’s how comfortable we were with him.
Kyle is a true professional in every sense of the word. He is deeply dedicated to his craft and brings unrelenting enthusiasm and energy to the band. For those reasons — and many others — we have chosen him to become the new drummer for INTERNAL BLEEDING.
Longtime fans of the band may remember seeing a much younger Kyle bashing the skins for INTERNAL BLEEDING during our second Onward To Mecca tour. He did a superb job then, and we’re supremely confident that his skills will help propel the band to new heights. It’s always painful to move forward after a tragic loss, but it must be done. We’ve decided that Kyle should be our new drummer, and we think – scratch that – we know that Bill would be really happy about our choice. Please welcome him to the INTERNAL BLEEDING fold!
The band also took to Facebook to respond to a few positive comments from fans, saying "We'd never throw in the towel. Bill's memory demands we continue, so the music he loved so much will continue. It's as simple as that."
So rest in peace Bill, and know that your band is in good hands.
