It’s only been four years since Per ‘Sodomizer’ Eriksson joined Katatonia. Now the guitarist,who was heavily involved with the band’s 2012 album Dead End Kings, has left the band. In a statement on the band’s website, the band states that while he’s no longer in Katatonia, he’s still in Bloodbath. The statement is as follows:

It has been some time coming but guitarist Per ‘Sodomizer’ Eriksson and Katatonia have now mutually agreed to part ways. Per joined the band in 2010 as a live session player and after some substantial touring quickly became a steady fixture being heavily involved in the recording of Katatonia’s 2012 critically acclaimed studio album Dead End Kings.

A difference in views on the band’s current operative as well as last year’s decision from Per to permanently live in Barcelona have made his involvement in the band too problematic, both for him and for the remaining band members. They part ways as good friends and on a related note, his position within the death metal “super-group” Bloodbath remains unchanged and he will soon join his fellow band members in the studio to record their 4th album to be released on Peaceville records this fall. Katatonia’s upcoming ‘Dethroned & Uncrowned’ Tour will go ahead as scheduled and will see none other than Bruce Soord (The Pineapple Thief, Wisdom of Crowds) as a special guest taking on guitar and vocal duties.

While he’s listed as a special guest, that doesn’t mean that Soord is a permanent member. Then again, neither was Sodomizer when he joined, and Katatonia (at least over here) is a lot more well-known than his other bands. Guess we’ll have to wait and see. The Unplugged and Reworked tour will be touring Europe starting in May. You can check out the dates here.