Caleb Shomo, the frontman of Columbus, Ohio metal band Beartooth, has come out as a “proudly gay man” after “a decade burying feelings with alcohol.”
The singer and multi-instrumentalist made the announcement on his social media, writing, “There’s been a lot of speculation surrounding my personal life as of late and I feel compelled to set the record straight before it affects those I love any further. I am a proudly gay man.”
Shomo continued, “This is something I’ve been unpacking and reckoning with in my life for quite some time now. It’s been difficult to navigate the feelings surrounding the subject and figure out what to do with this fact.”
The Shomo-led Beartooth formed in 2012, and have released five albums since 2014. “I have always strived to chase who I am in the deepest part of my soul from album to album,” Shomo wrote Saturday. “As you could gather if you’ve followed the band at all in the earlier years, there are 4 very self deprecating albums about exploring my religious upbringing, depression, self hatred, self loathing, and hopelessness. I am grateful for all these albums, yet feel embarrassed at times that I wouldn’t allow myself to really dig up the roots for so long.”
Shomo added, “I spent a decade burying feelings with alcohol, and honestly, when I decided to put it down and focus on exploring why I felt this way for so long, it’s been a direct path to me reconciling with my sexuality in hopes that it will eventually lead me to experiencing self-love.”
Beartooth’s sixth album, Pure Ecstasy, arrives in August. “One thing I decided before I wrote a single note or lyric of the upcoming album is that whatever happens, I will express myself wholeheartedly and fully,” Shomo wrote. “Wherever it takes me I will follow and I refuse to water any part of it down, from the music, to the lyrical content, and way I portray myself. I will only do what makes me happy at the deepest level and what is the most honest depiction of who I am.”
Fleur Shomo, Caleb’s wife of 14 years, also wrote a statement on social media Saturday following her husband’s coming out and encouraged Beartooth fans to “continue to support Caleb.”
“I will always want to love, protect and support Caleb. I have cared more about his well-being over the years than anything else in the world,” Fleur Shomo wrote. “To see the confusion and pain he went through and the highs and lows and wanting to help but now knowing how. You never want anything more for your person than for them to just be ok.”
She continued, “Our nearly 14 years of marriage was wonderful and full of so much fun, adventure & love. Nobody will know anything about our marriage like we do. And no one can ever truly know what depths of love exist between two people unless they are those people. I already miss it & my husband more than anything. Our story was a good one. And now it is done.”