Stampede of the Disco Elephants

Background

After the release of Gold Cobra in 2011 and subsequent touring, Limp Bizkit left their longtime label Interscope Records in December of the same year owing to creative differences and poor sales of the album. On February 24, Limp Bizkit signed with Cash Money Records, and revealed plans to release a new single, "Ready to Go", a full-length album and a sequel to their 2005 album, The Unquestionable Truth (Part 1). Cash Money co-founder Birdman said, "If we find some great talent, we're gonna embrace it. Limp Bizkit, to me, is just a perfect match for us… It was something that Fred Durst was interested in doing, and I was already a fan, and I was like, 'Let's do it.' It's good for the brand, it will bring a different look for us, and we're definitely trying to expand on that side of music."

However, after a dispute between frontman Fred Durst over his and John Otto's "partying habits" and drug abuse, DJ Lethal was fired from the band in March 2012.

Guitarist Wes Borland released a second studio album with his side project Black Light Burns in mid 2012 and toured in support of the album throughout 2012. It was only in December that the band's first offering for Cash Money was seen. A song called "Lightz (City of Angels)" was prematurely leaked via YouTube. In October 2012, DJ Lethal posted an apology using his Twitter account and was accepted back by the band, but he was dismissed again and left out of their upcoming 2013 tour of the US, replaced by touring turntablist DJ Skeletor.

As of 2016, the album has still not been released, in December 2015, it was rumored Durst was possibly holding back the release because he was not happy with the recordings. In February 2016, Metal Injection reported that the band was still in the studio recording the new album.

Recording and composition

The band started working on the album in 2012, when they signed with Cash Money. The single, "Ready to Go" was produced by hip hop producer Polow da Don. Durst had then told Billboard that he was putting the finishing touches on the track in March 2013.

In their positive review of the single, Artistdirect wrote," 'Ready to Go' feels like a band reawakened in many ways. At the same time, it's the Bizkit the world knows and loves from Significant Other and Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water".

In May 2013, amidst their tour of the USA, Borland told Billboard, "We're really trying to get it hammered out here. We're done with most of the music, pretty much all the music. I've mixed two songs and have a lot more mixing to do. The lyrics and vocals are probably 30 percent done, and Fred is working as we speak, on tour." Describing the album's sound, he said, " [It's] a little more pressure-free and a little more fun. I think it's a little bit more sort of playful, taking chances, a little less pop structured type of stuff. I don't want to say it (sounds) younger, but maybe a little more carefree, musically, to where we don't over-think what we're doing. We're leaving mistakes in and going, 'Oh, that sounds great, leave that in.' That's sort of the thinking instead of polishing too much or trying to stay within the parameters of a formula." He also said that producer Ross Robinson (who previously produced the band's debut album and The Unquestionable Truth (Part 1) ) has worked on "a little bit" of the album, along with the label's producer Detail, although it was primarily "a do-it-yourself affair." He further explained the album title, saying, "[It's] just from being stupid. I think we saw a disco ball elephant in the window of a shop somewhere. We were like, 'Look, it's a disco elephant. We should call our record Stampede of the Disco Elephants.' It's just a 10-second conversation that snowballed."

Release delays

The album has suffered many delays since its announcement in 2012, and as of December 2016 is in development hell. During an interview/talk with the podcast Someone Who Isn't Me that took place in September 2016, guitarist Wes Borland provided an update regarding the current status of the album. He explained that he was unsure of Fred Durst's ideas for the album, though the original plan was to make music in the spirit of Beastie Boys' studio album, Paul's Boutique. Borland elaborated that Durst had been working on vocals "on and off" for the album but had not been satisfied with the outcome. Whereas Borland would prefer to "do whatever and just put it out" to capture the moment, Durst's method is to "keep working on something till he’s happy with it, even if it takes years and years", and expressed uncertainty of when the album would be released, if ever.

Release and promotion

Borland had stated in 2013 that the album would be completed by August and the band was hoping for a September release date. However, in July 2013, Durst stated on a Reddit "Ask Me Anything" event that the record will be released in the first quarter of 2014, but the album has since been indefinitely postponed to be released "sometime in 2014".

The intended first official single for the album, "Ready to Go", featuring Lil Wayne, was released in March 2013, on limpbizkit.com as a free download and, on April 16, as a digital single on iTunes and Amazon and the music video, directed by Durst, was released on 22 July. On August 20, 2013, Limp Bizkit posted on their Facebook page that a second single is to be expected soon. It was soon confirmed to be set for release on November 1, 2013. The second single turned out to be "Thieves"; a cover of the song by Ministry that they performed live at Woodstock in 1999 and throughout many of their live sets since 1997, but hadn't released a studio version until now. A month later, on December 11, the previously leaked track, "Lightz" was officially released as a promotional single, along with an accompanying music video. The band labelled it as "gift" for their fans.

Via an official Facebook post on May 30, 2014, the next single, "Endless Slaughter" was confirmed. Referring to it as the first "experience" off their upcoming album, the track is set to be released on cassette only during concerts, with the band encouraging potential listeners to invest in a "BOOM BOX for your analogue listening pleasure". The single has since been released as a free download on their website and has since been given its own music video. Limp Bizkit will embark upon a European tour from June 24 to July 4, 2014, followed by 2 dates in USA and finally culminating on November 16 at the second annual Knotfest in Makuhari Messe, Tokyo, where Limp Bizkit will perform along with festival founders Slipknot, longtime friends Korn, and other heavy metal acts such as Lamb of God, Five Finger Death Punch, Trivium and In Flames.