It takes a hell of a musician to keep up with Protest the Hero. And since the beginning, bassist Arif Mirabdolbaghi has been crushing it with the band. However, Cameron McLellan had been filling in with the band on the road most recently, and a few days ago, in between songs, Rody Walker responded to a fan by saying Arif had quit the band. Today, the band released a statement on their Facebook page confirming that he was no longer in the band, at least for the time being.

The cat’s out of the bag. Despite what you may of read already, here’s the real scoop:

Arif has decided that the touring schedule we have signed up for to support Volition is more intense than what he is prepared to commit. He is actively involved with other projects at home and being a full time band member isn’t a practical thing. Though he has and will be missed out on the road with his brothers, everything was left on a positive note and we are open to his involvement down the road and only time will see how it all plays out. In the meantime, our longtime friend and tourmate Cam McLellan will be filling in on bass duties for the rest of the cycle. As an amazing musician, co-writer and producer of Volition, he is more than capable to pick off where Riffy left off. Don’t fret, Cam’s working on his giant happy smile and well placed high kicks during our set!

It’s good that (at least publicly) the band ended things on a positive note, although it’s a little odd to think that one of the more technical bands out there has an entirely different rhythm inside of a year after no lineup changes for the first 12 years of their career.