In a brand new interview with Robb Chavez of Robbs MetalWorks, Vio-Lence vocalist Sean Killian spoke candidly concerning the 2024 departure of founding guitarist Phil Demmel, making it clear that shelving the legendary Bay Space thrash band was by no means an choice.
Demmel performed his last present with Vio-Lence in February 2024 at Carioca Membership in São Paulo, Brazil, ending a reunion run that had reignited curiosity within the band after a long time of relative inactivity.
Requested whether or not he was adamant about persevering with Vio-Lence following Demmel‘s exit, Killian did not mince phrases: “[Phil] needed me to shelve the band. After which we offered out the Whisky [A Go Go in February 2023] in L.A., and he introduced it up within the inexperienced room after we performed. And I used to be, like, ‘No, I am not shelving something.’
“‘Trigger we by no means actually toured again within the day, so there’s so many locations all over the world that have not seen Vio-Lence or heard it dwell. For him, it is a storage factor that — I do not know… He is sort of a egocentric man. And in case you’ve seen a few of his interviews. he even brings it up himself.”
He then supplied a blunt evaluation of Demmel‘s perspective: “For him, it is a storage factor that — I do not know… He is sort of a egocentric man. And in case you’ve seen a few of his interviews, he even brings it up himself.”
Killian was additionally requested why the band’s 2001 reunion did not final. In keeping with him, momentum was constructing — till Machine Head entered the image: “We really have been writing music on the time… After which Robb [Flynn] got here to Phil and tapped him and mentioned, ‘You wanna play [with Machine Head]?'”
Killian confused that he has at all times supported Demmel‘s profession strikes, together with his later filling in with Lamb Of God, however the request to utterly shelve Vio-Lence crossed a line: “I’ve by no means informed him, ‘You’ll be able to’t do that’ or ‘you’ll be able to’t do this’… However when he informed me that he needed me to shelve it [two and a half years ago], that is once I was simply sort of, like… ‘This relationship is over.'”
Issues escalated additional across the time of Mystic Competition 2024 in Poland, the place Vio-Lence and Machine Head have been each on the invoice. Killian invited Robb Flynn to hitch Vio-Lence onstage for a efficiency of “World In A World” — an thought Flynn enthusiastically accepted.
Shortly afterward, Killian says Demmel gave an interview criticizing Vio-Lence, which proved to be the breaking level: “It is simply nothing however him speaking unhealthy about Vio-Lence. And I simply lastly had it with him and informed him, ‘Man, you bought points. And I do not need any a part of it.'”
For his half, Phil Demmel has mentioned his determination to go away got here all the way down to Vio-Lence now not feeling like residence, citing lineup turnover and a altering dynamic. Since leaving, Demmel has remained busy with Kerry King‘s solo band, Category 7, and as a extremely in-demand touring guitarist.
Regardless of the fallout, Demmel has praised the band’s 2022 EP Let The World Burn — a launch he co-wrote with Killian — calling it one thing he is nonetheless happy with.
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