Precisely one year to the day after the death of Dolores O’Riordan, the Cranberries announced their final album with their beloved lead singer. The Irish band was already working on the record before O’Riordan passed away, and they say there was enough material to finish the work. Titled In the End, the band’s finale is set to release April 26.
Rolling Stone lists 11 tracks that were demoed prior to O’Riordan’s untimely death and completed with the help of producer and longtime Cranberries collaborator Stephen Street. The Cranberries reportedly sought the blessing of O’Riordan’s family before moving ahead with the project.
Read more:
When the Cranberries’ Dolores O’Riordan sang ‘Ave Maria’ with Pavarotti
In response to the announcement, Dolores’ mother released a statement conveying her gratitude to the band:
“I can’t think of a more fitting way to commemorate the first anniversary of Dolores’ passing and to celebrate her life than to announce to the world the release of her final album with the band,” she said. “I miss her awfully, specially today, as does the entire family. She was very excited about this new album and was really looking forward to its release. I have no doubt that she is happy now and would be delighted with today’s announcement.”
Lead guitarist and producer of the Cranberries, Noel Hogan, said O’Riordan was “energized by the prospect” of the new album and also looked forward to getting back on the road with the band, which was widely successful in the 90s and again during a resurgence in this decade. AV Club has more from Hogan:
“We knew this had to be one of the, if not the, best Cranberries album that we could possibly do,” Hogan added. “The worry was that we would destroy the legacy of the band by making an album that wasn’t up to standard. Once we had gone through all the demos that Dolores and I had worked on and decided that we had such a strong album we knew it would be the right thing and the best way that we could honor Dolores.”
Unfortunately, while the band will honor O’Riordan with one more album, The Cranberries will not be going on tour. In fact, along with the announcement of their final album, they explained that the band will break up, not wanting to continue without their lead singer. The decision was probably for the best, as O’Riordan had a one-of-a-kind voice that became a signature of the Cranberries.
And today we celebrate...