In a post to his Instagram account, Suicide Silence guitarist Mark Heylmun announced that has been on a hiatus from the band since February, and thus answering fan questions about why he has not been on the current tour with the band, the Rage Fest Tour. He has been temporarily replaced live in the band by Mike “Lonestar” Carrigan of Darkest Hour. Mark says he’ll return to the band at some point “when the time is right”. Read his statement below.

So the cat is outta the bag… I’m not on tour with the band. I’ve been on radical sabbatical since about February of this year. I just feel I need a break to spend time with my family and give my mind and body the attention it deserves. I’ve abused myself for years and a member of my families health has got me aware of mortality and the length of time I may have on this earth. It landed me on the “it’s all or nothing” state of mind for the band… and right now the attention I am used to giving the band is not there. I am not in a bad way of any sort or in a depressed state, I just wanna listen to my heart and do what feels right. It has never steered me wrong in the past. So with that I’m still writing music, planning new ventures, and I WILL be back to ripping for SS when the time is right. Super stoked @lonestardh is filling in for me on #Ragefest. Peace & Love y’all!!

A post shared by Mark Heylmun (@markheylmun) on Jul 24, 2018 at 3:55pm PDT