Drummer Mike Van Dyne has announced his departure from Arsis. Dyne co-founded Arsis with frontman James Malone in 2000, though the Virginia tech-death metal group have gone through numerous lineup changes over the years.
Dyne released the following statement regarding his most recent exit from the group:
“After five label releases and hundreds of shows in 19 countries, it’s time to move forward and pursue my career full-time. The last fully-completed ARSIS song I contributed to was ‘Since The Shadows’ (released online last year), and it’s one of my favorites.
Through the years, I’ve accomplished everything in music I wanted to do. Not many people can say that, and I consider myself fortunate for having so many great experiences.”
As we mentioned before, this isn’t the first shakeup Arsis have had to their lineup. However, Dyne’s departure comes after an odd year for the band, who actually toured last Fall without Malone. And last month, it was announced that the group’s guitarist Nick Cordle was replacing Christopher Amott in Arch Enemy (though it’s unclear whether he’s left Arsis for good). Could Dyne’s exit spell the end for Arsis?
Well, if you believe a press release Arsis sent out a few weeks ago, then the end has not come. Not only did Arsis promise to “return in late 2012/early 2013 with a new album and lead guitarist/singer James Malone back at the helm,” but even posted a demo of a song called “Choking On Sand” online. So Arsis may still be alive and moving forward, just not with drummer Mike Van Dyne.
You can stream “Choking On Sand” in the Soundcloud player after the jump.
