The alternative rock band, R.E.M., has officially split up after 31 years together, having produced 15 albums.

What? Oh no! We think we’re gonna lose our religion over this one…

…or at least we would have had this news come out in 1995.

Still, the band was a great one regardless of peak time and deserves a final standing ovation.

From Everybody Hurts to Losing My Religion, the band was best known for their melodic songs accompanied by thought-provoking music videos.

After their breakthrough commercial success in the 90s, R.E.M. began experimenting with other sounds in the early 2000s. Although their music dropped off the Top 100 charts, fans and critics still held them on a high pedestal of respect.

In 2007, they were deservedly inducted into Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame.

On their website, they released an official unified statement announcing the split, followed by individual messages:

We walk away with a great sense of gratitude, of finality, and of astonishment at all we have accomplished. To anyone who ever felt touched by our music, our deepest thanks for listening.

Michael: A wise man once said – ‘the skill in attending a party is knowing when it’s time to leave.’ We built something extraordinary together. We did this thing. And now we’re going to walk away from it.”

Mike: There’s no disharmony here, no falling-outs, no lawyers squaring-off. We’ve made this decision together, amicably and with each other’s best interests at heart. The time just feels right.

It’s a sad day for their most dedicated of fans, but the music they gave the world will transcend time on dozens of movie soundtracks.

Thank you, R.E.M., for your amazing musical gifts! We wish you each the best of luck in your future endeavors.

1.  Foster The People – Pumped Up Kicks

2.  Red Hot Chili Peppers – The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie

3.  Switchfoot – Dark Horses

4.  Anthrax – The Devil You Know

5.  Black Stone Cherry – Blame It On The Boom Boom

6.  Edisun – Wide Awake

7.  Cake – Long time

8.  Seether – Here and Now

9.  Evanescence – What You Want

10. Bush – The Sound Of Winter

Last night the familiar pangs of ‘Enter Sandman’ echoed through the hallowed halls of Yankee Stadium. This time, however, Mariano Rivera didn’t take the mound.

The traveling metal circus known as The Big 4 made its way to the Bronx bringing with it hard rock heaven, ironic with all of the devil horns being flashed throughout the day. What else would you expect when you bring Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax, together for one show?

Complete with over-the-top pyrotechnics and lasers Metallica showcased a finely tuned stadium show. Fresh off of recording a collaborative album with Lou Reed, the band worked their huge set up with pinpoint precision. Playing mostly songs recorded before 1992 one such highlight included the rarely played instrumental ‘Orion,’ dedicated to their late bassist Cliff Burton.

After a break Metallica returned with each individual member of The Big 4. “This one’s for Lemmy”, said Hetfield right before he and a backing band for the ages tore through a cover of Motörhead’s ‘Overkill.’

Big thanks to our friend Joe Gerarce, from Tavern 1844 in St Croix, who managed to get a hold of one Metallica’s set list, for your visual pleasure

Rockers Good Charlotte are stepping away from the spotlight and taking a hiatus from the music industry to “just have fun.”

The “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous” hitmakers, fronted by twins Benji and Joel Madden, wrapped up a tour of Europe last month and have just one more gig scheduled at a music festival in Russia in October.

The punk stars are then planning to take some time out from their busy work schedules to just enjoy life.

Benji Madden tells RollingStone.com, “We’re stepping away from the grind of making records and touring for a minute, just to have fun and be creative like we were when we were 15.”

But the twins are preparing to serve up a treat for fans before they go on their career break – a free mixtape, titled “Before The Fame: The Madden Brothers,” will be released on October 1.

And Joel Madden has alerted fans to expect some cool new sounds.

He says, “We’re already having a blast in our studio with all these new artists making music just for fun. And the mixtape’s free, they’re going to get it for free, there’s no quota we’re trying to fill, there’s no machine we’re trying to fuel, we just want to make music with new artists and god bless (record label bosses at) EMI, they let us do what we want.”