Fans looking forward to the return of Tool vocalist Maynard James Keenan’s other band, A Perfect Circle, for next year’s Soundwave Festival, may have to brace themselves with the news that it won’t be the full line-up making it to our shores.

As Blabbermouth reports, the group’s drummer Josh Freese has quite the band “with no plans of returning” after 13 years of service to the on/off rock band, which apparently includes all upcoming tour dates.

Those upcoming shows obviously include Soundwave 2013, and while the group toured North America for the first time in six years last summer, with one more date planned before the end of the year, Freese has already departed for other ventures.

 Freese took to his Twitter to break the news writing:

Freese’s role as the drummer was one of the more permanent fixtures of the band’s ever-malleable lineup, alongside core duo of singer Maynard James Keenan and guitarist/lead songwriter, Billy Howerdel.

The on-again, off-again nature of the band has seen a number of members pass through its ranks, including Queens Of The Stone Age bassist Troy Dean Van Leeuwen, Nine Inch Nails soundman Danny Lohner and Marilyn Manson’s bassist, Jeordie White.

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The current lineup features former Smashing Pumpkin James Iha (who Billy Howerdel used to tech for) and bassist Matt McJunkins, with no word as to who will replace the drummer’s stool, but given their rock pedigree and connections – you can expect it to be somebody impressive.

Freese will no doubt focus on his many other musical ventures, apart from his commitments in A Perfect Circle’s potted history, he’s lent his skills to the likes of Nine Inch Nails, Weezer and Guns N Roses. (he also featured as the drummer for Once More With Feeling, the musical episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer TV Trivia nerds!)

In related news, Soundwave 2013 fans were also disappointed by the Maynard James Keenan’s other other side-project Puscifer, first teasing that they would be part of the February touring festival, only to say it was ‘all a bad joke’. Indeed.

Meanwhile, after selling out in record-breaking time around the country due to its ridiculously-sized lineup, Soundwave 2013 recently launched an official Buy and Swap ticket program in attempted to scupper the ticket scalpers attempting to take advantage of the sizeable excitement surrounding the festival’s mammoth lineup.

A monstrous bill that besides the Josh Freese-less A Perfect Circle, features skate punk icons The Offspring, Sum 41 and Blink 182 (who were recently to play sideshows); as well as populist arena rock acts like Linkin Park, Garbage, and Paramore.

Never mind some of the biggest names in metal, including Killswitch Engage, Bullet For My Valentine, Stone Sour, Dragonforce and three of metal’s Big Four in Metallica, Slayer, and Anthrax.

SOUNDWAVE FESTIVAL 2013 // FULL LINEUP

METALLICA
LINKIN PARK
BLINK 182
A PERFECT CIRCLE / THE OFFSPRING / PARAMORE / SLAYER / GARBAGE / CYPRESS HILL / BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE / TOMAHAWK / STONE SOUR / BRING ME THE HORIZON / KYUSS LIVES / ANTHRAX / SUM 41 / DRAGONFORCE / ALL TIME LOW / FLOGGING MOLLY / GHOST / DUFF McKAGAN’S LOADED / KILLSWITCH ENGAGE/ THE VANDALS/ BILLY TALENT / MOTION CITY SOUNDTRACK / MINDLESS SELF INDULGENCE / THE AMITY AFFLICTION / SICK OF IT ALL / KINGDOM OF SORROW / FOZZY / THE LAWRENCE ARMS / SLEEPING WITH SIRENS  / CANCER BATS / THE BLACKOUT / GALLOWS / MADBALL / FUCKED UP / VISION OF DISORDER / PIERCE THE VEIL / PERIPHERY / SHAI HALUD / OF MICE & MEN / ORANGE GOBLIN/ THE SWORD/ CHELSEA GRIN/ THE CHARIOT/ SHARKS / DR ACULA/ O’BROTHER/ NORTHLANE/ MILESTONESTHIS IS HELL / MISS MAY I / DANKO JONES / LUCERO / WOE, IS ME / THE WONDER YEARS / POLAR BEAR CLUB / WHILE SHE SLEEPS / CEREBRAL BALLZY / THE EARLY NOVEMBER  / SUCH GOLD / SIX FEET UNDER  / THE DEAR HUNTER / DEAF HAVANA / RED FANG / VERSUS THE WORLD / BLOOD ON THE DANCE FLOOR / CONFESSION / CHUNK! NO, CAPTAIN CHUNK! / SYLOSIS / MEMPHIS MAY FIRE / CROSSFAITH

SOUNDWAVE FESTIVAL VENUES AND DATES
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2013

SATURDAY 23- BRISBANE, RNA SHOWGROUNDS – SOLD OUT!
SUNDAY 24 – SYDNEY, OLYMPIC PARK – SOLD OUT!
FRIDAY 1 – MELBOURNE, FLEMINGTON RACECOURSE – SOLD OUT!
SATURDAY 2 – ADELAIDE, BONYTHON PARK – SOLD OUT!
MONDAY 4 – PERTH, CLAREMONT SHOWGROUNDS – SOLD OUT!

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