Earlier this week, singer Derek Rydquist gave a vague response to Metal Injection when asked to comment on why he wasn’t in Europe with his band mates. While he essentially said it by giving the “no comment” routine, Rydquist has now confirmed that he is no longer in The Faceless. In an exclusive statement to Lambgoat, Rydquist had the following to say:
“As you Internet sleuths have deduced, I have left The Faceless. I left the band a couple months ago, and we were waiting until they had everything sorted out on their end before saying anything about it, but I guess I’ll take it upon myself to break the news. I am no longer emotionally or artistically fulfilled by being the vocalist for the group, and that’s how I arrived at my decision. Touring’s luster has worn off, and I have found myself reconsidering the role I would like to take in creating and presenting music. Also, being a ‘professional musician’ was kind of ruining my love for music because when you rely on this stuff to make you money, as with anything, it is easy to become bitter towards it. Not that it was all bad, I had the best times I will ever have being in this band, but it is time for me to move on.
I’d like to thank the band and the friends I’ve made through the band for making this not only a life altering experience, but a life shaping one. There is an immense amount of talent in this band, and the new vocalist they have is doing a great job, so please keep supporting The Faceless. I can now join you in anticipating the new album.
If you’re interested, I’m now playing in another group with some dudes from some awesome bands. Check it out at www.facebook.com/bewilderbiest. We’re mixing the album right now, so we should have some music up soon.”
This does not mark the first time The Faceless has had a shakeup in their lineup. Most recently, the band replaced bassist Jared Lander (who replaced founding member Brandon Giffin roughly this time last year) with Evan Brewer. The band has also gone through many drummers behind the kit in the band’s early days. Rydquist, though, had been in the band since their debut album Akeldama in 2006. Apparently, Geoff Ficco (Kamikabe, Orgone) has been filling in on vocals for the band, and is the one seen in the recent videos that started the rumors of Rydquist. However, it is unclear as to whether Ficco is a permanent replacement or not. We’ll keep you posted when more is revealed.
[picture via]
