Yesterday was a changing of the guard withing the Death (DTA) tour, as drummer Sean Reinert, also a member of Cynic, dropped off the tour just three dates in, replaced by Gene Hoglan. While the transition was seemless, going from one former Death drummer to another, not initially explained were the health issues that forced Reinert off the road. Yesterday after the press release went out, Reinert shared via his Facebook the reason why he wasn’t able to continue:
I was going to issue this statement today but it looks like the cat’s already been let out of the bag and people are drawing some crazy conclusions. So let me address what is going on with the tour change.
Yes, it is with great regret that I left the DTA tour after the San Francisco show Sunday night. Although I have spent weeks rehearsing for this tour and was very excited to put on great performances, it was not meant to be. For the past six months I have been suffering from lower back spasms, extreme muscle fatigue and limited grip strength. It’s no big secret that after over the last two years and two major surgeries (full achilles repair on my right ankle and a year later knee surgery on my left knee for a torn MCL) that I’ve gained a lot of weight due to recovery and pain. All of this culminated in the perfect storm.I realized that the situation was not getting better the more I played. Shortening the set was not something that I felt was fair to the fans and after three shows I realized the best thing for the tour was to get Gene in the fold and for me to get some definitive answers. Fortunately, Gene is available to take over for me starting tonight in Seattle. He is of course a f*#king beast behind the kit and there’s no one better to fill in for me. I have already consulted with my Physician and will have a series of tests over the next few weeks to check for for everything from carpal/cubital tunnel syndrome to other possible nerve/spinal/back issues. I am sorry to the many fans who were looking forward to seeing me play this tour and I hope to make it up to you in the future.
While we weren’t necessarily drawing crazy conclusions, as he says, it seemed a little cryptic. It’s encouraging to see Reinert clear things up, and while it sounds unfortunate, hopefully, he’ll be able to get back into playing shape before too long.
