Sparta Return After Frontman’s Life Reassessment

At the end of an April 2005 show in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Sparta frontman Jim Ward walked offstage and told his bandmates that he couldn’t finish the last scheduled 13 dates of the tour. After more than 10 years on the road and in the recording studio, being in a band had become like an odious day job for Ward, who needed to take time off immediately to reassess his life. Sixteen months later, Sparta are getting ready to return with ‘Threes’, due out October 24th, and Ward is more than ready for his comeback. “It was the greatest break of my life, and I returned with the desire to make the greatest album I’ve ever made,” he tells MTV News. “I really feel like we’re at a crossroads, and this record is a major accomplishment.” Read more.