Ready to move on to a new path in his career, Mike Spreitzer has quit Devildriver after 20 years in the band. Citing the inactivity of Devildriver as a touring band, claiming that even before the COVID-19 pandemic, several illnesses within the band and their families, and personal issues, these things have impeded the band as a regular entity. Mike also threw shade to at least one current member, regarding the creation and release of music from his new band. Mike is moving on to work full-time on his other band Verona on Venus, and perhaps this will open up an opportunity to join another touring band. Mike joined Devildriver after they released their self-titled debut album in 2003, replacing their co-founding guitarist Evan Pitts. Mike has played on nine of the ten Devildriver albums to date. He says in his posts on his social media accounts that he wishes the split to be amicable, and offers good luck to the continuing members of the band. Mike is the second guitarist to split with the band in recent years as Neal Tiemann was officially dismissed from the band in 2022. Devildriver recently postponed their 2024 tour dates to spring of 2025 due to a sudden illness from frontman Dez Fafara. The band’s latest album Dealing With Demons Vol.2 is out now via Napalm Records. Continue reading
Tag Archives: lineup changes
Dimmu Borgir Guitarist Galder Has Departed The Band After 23 Years, and Reactivating Old Man’s Child
Credit: Rich Price/Ghost Cult Magazine
Longtime Dimmu Borgir guitarist Galder (real name Thomas Rune Andersen) has announced he is leaving the band after twenty-three years. He intends to reactivate Old Man’s Child, which tours less than Dimmu. Galder posted on social media that his final show with the band was this weekend, headlining Dynamo Open Air in Eindhoven, The Netherlands (review coming to the site soon). Continue reading
Guitarist Roman Surman Steps Down From Wednesday 13 for the Rest of 2024
Guitarist Roman Surman has announced via social media he is stepping down from touring with Wednesday 13 for the rest of 2024. Roman is moving to England and looking for work opportunities in the UK. He did not perform at Sick New World Festival 2024. Diego Ibarra (ex Devildriver) will step in to the live lineup and played the festival as his debut gig. Wednesday 13 has been on tour supporting their 2022 album Horrifier (Napalm Records) and performing a set of Murderdolls songs. Surman has been an associate of Wednesday 13, since 2006 over the course of different projects including a version of Murderdolls and eight albums with Wednesday. According to a post from the band, they are soon to announce extensive USA, EU, and United Kingdom tour dates, and a new album is due in 2025. Continue reading
Escuela Grind Finally Issues a Statement About The The Claims Made by Their Former Tour Manager and Driver
In a story we have been tracking and with news first broken by Lambgoat, Escuela Grind has finally responded to their claims of abuse, gaslighting, and mismanagement from their former Tour Manager and Driver. Following a series of headline grabbing issues, their former tour driver, Destiny Harper, was dismissed, and she leveled allegations of gross misconduct against the band and tour manager. On Wednesday, March 6th, Lambgoat received a letter from the attorney of former tour manager Chris Cotter, addressing the allegations made by Harper. Now the band have responded via a post on Instagram. They are still being dragged by friends and foes the world over on all their posts, but at least they cleared the air. They claim the matter is put to bed after this post. Hopefully, from here on out, they let the music do the talking. Continue reading
Eloy Casagrande Comments on His Quitting Sepultura “Decisions Needed To Be Made Thinking About New Cycles That Will Come”
World-renowned Drummer Eloy Casagrande made his first public comment since Sepultura announced yesterday (February 28th, 20224) that he had quit the band a month ago, and just few months after the band announced their farewell tour and the death of the band. Eloy says that his decision to leave Sepultura was made “with a view toward new cycles that will come. There is massive speculation that Eloy will be the next drummer for Slipknot. Continue reading
Eloy Casagrande Quits Sepultura, Replaced by Greyson Nekrutman (Suicidal Tendencies)
Sepultura announced that they has added drummer Greyson Nekrutman (Suicidal Tendencies) to the band for their planned upcoming farewell tour, in the wake of the surprise announcement that Eloy Casagrande has quit the band “for another opportunity” after almost 10 years. Read an extensive statement from the band below. Casagrande informed the band in the last month he was leaving. Eloy has been rumored to be the replacement for Jay Weinberg in Slipknot. Continue reading
Fleshgod Apocalypse Co-Founder Bassist and Vocalist Paolo Rossi Exits The Band After 17 Years
Fleshgod Apocalypse has announced bassist and vocalist Paolo Rossi has departed from the lineup permanently. A founding member of the band, Rossi has been in the band since 2007, but has been on hiatus since 2023. Rossi has decided to pursue a career job outside of music, after it sounds like he exhausted every possibility to try to stay in the music business full time. The spilt is amicable and doesn’t sound like a surprise to the band, according to their statement on social media. Fleshgod Apocalypse will move forward as a five-piece, with vocalist Francesco Paoli moving to playing bass alongside his vocal duties, and Veronica Bordacchini covering all clean vocals. The band is currently on tour in Europe. Read the statement below. Continue reading
Vogg Kieltyka Has Quit Machine Head, Focusing on Decapitated
Guitarist Wacław “Vogg” Kiełtyka has quit Machine Head. He had been a member of the band since September 2019, after replacing Phil Demmel who quit in 2018. Vogg confirmed that he’s leaving the band to continue focusing on Decapitated, with a world tour about to embark and new music recording coming soon. Vogg’s final show with the band was in October 2023. He recorded one album with the band, ØF KINGDØM AND CRØWN (Imperium Recordings, Nuclear Blast Records) the Ghost Cult Album of the Year for 2022. For his part, Vogg’s statement is amicable and he wishes the band the best. Machine Head is currently on tour in the USA on the Slaughter The Mayrtour run of dates with Fear Factory and Orbit Culture. Read our review here. Reece Scruggs of Havok has been touring with Machine Head as their lead guitarist of late. Robb Flynn responded in Vogg’s comments section that the band was “lucky to have him for the time they did.” The band has yet to comment on the situation with Vogg. Read Vogg’s statement below: Continue reading
Escuela Grind Guitarist Thomas Sifuentes Says His Next Two Shows Are His Last Following “Safety Concerns”
Escuela Grind has been in the news a lot lately for both on and off stage exploits. Current second guitarist Thomas Sifuentes recently shared some posts to social media that the next two shows from the band will be his very last. In his posts he cited “safety concerns” as the main reason that he is leaving. Ultimately he says it is amicable. Escuela Grind continues to tour in support of their recent EP DDEEAATTHHMMEETTAALL (MNRK Heavy). Read our review here.
Phil Demmel Announces His Official Departure From Vio-Lence, Says its Unrelated to Joining Kerry King’s Band
After almost 39 years in the band Vio-Lence Co-founder and guitarist Phil Demmel is permanently leaving the band after one final show on February 11th. In a post to social media and transcribed by Metal Injection, Demmel, explains that this recent development has nothing to do with him joining Kerry King’s new band, and more about the direction he has been heading in for a while, as he and vocalist Sean Killian are “not on the same page, and never have been!” Perry Strickland left the band in 2023. As Injection also reported, Demmel played with every incarnation of Vio-Lence across their career between 1985 and 2024, but he also stepped back from the band in 2023 as the band began touring without him and Demmel only playing occasional festivals like Milwaukee Metal Fest and a hometown show in Oakland. At that Oakland show last summer, Phil gave several lengthy thank yous and tributes to current and former members, that felt to those in attendance, like a goodbye moment from him. Demmel has also filled in for Lamb of God on tour in recent years and Slayer in 2018. Vio-lence has confirmed spring tour dates booked for the USA. Continue reading