Vio-Lence performed at the World Famous Whiskey-A-Go-Go this past weekend, their first show with drummer Adrian Aguilar (Exmortus). This comes less than three weeks after co-founder Perry Strickland quit the band. The band recently announced that guitarist Phil Demmel will be unable to make the group’s shows in Asia, Australia, and New Zealand in early March and will be temporarily replaced by Miles Dimitri Baker (Voidbringer, Interloper, Ex-Rings Of Saturn). In a new post to Instagram, Phil Demmel gave a “state of the Vio-lence address”, including telling vocalist Sean Killian he wanted to “shut down the band” following the recent departures, and that he may have limited to no involvement touring with the group in the future. Strickland is the second member to depart the band recently following Bobby Gufstason (ex-Overkill) a few months ago.
He said in part (as transcribed by Blabbermouth.net): “In all honesty, ’cause that’s kind of how I roll, it’s kind of weird playing these shows. With Perry gone now… Everybody’s awesome. Miles is awesome. I love Christian. Ira is super pro… It’s just weird. And being the founder, co-founder of this band and being a part of just about everything that it’s done, seeing it come to a bunch of fill-ins and me and Sean, it’s just…
“I’m in a weird spot right now with how it is,” he admitted. “We played last night. The show was great. Adrian did awesome. Playing the tunes was great. The fans loved it. It was packed. But I’m just kind of really torn right now in the sense of what VIO-LENCE is and what it’s gonna be and what my role is gonna be in that and how I feel about that. So I’m just spitting it all out right now.
“I had a talk with Sean about it. And actually, in all honesty, I’ve asked him to — [laughs] this is an overshare, for sure — but I’ve told him I wanted to shut it down,” Demmel revealed. “I get the feelings of 1991 all over again when Robb [Flynn] left and then Perry left. And God bless Ray and Mark Hernandez, and it just became something that it wasn’t. And that’s how it’s kind of feeling to me a little bit. It’s kind of what it feels like.
“I’m in a very fortunate spot music-wise, with lots of options and lots of things I could be doing or am doing, in a sense, and realizing that to ask that of those dudes to not do it anymore is selfish on my part. And maybe that’s why I made the first reachout about… So thinking about it today moved my perspective to the point where it’s… The kids are loving it. And for the people that didn’t know the members of the band, as opposed from the older fans that have known us as those five that were on those records, then it’s…
“I don’t know what to do,” Phil added. “I’m just sharing how I feel about it all. I love the dudes that are jamming with them. Like I said, I do. It’s nothing against them. I think they play the parts great. It’s definitely different.
“The thing with me and VIO-LENCE is that we were always this dangerous element — not, like, dangerous… Well, back in the day, definitely. [Laughs] But it was just this weird things-can-go-off-the-rails-at-any-moment-type deal. And as you put different people in those pieces, then you kind of lose what that’s about. And maybe that’s what I’m missing right now. And I’ve been apart from it, from all the things that I’ve been doing and have chosen to do. So it’s hard to let go. And I’m not letting go; I’m a partner in the business. And as much as I’m gonna be playing? Probably not a bunch. So I think it’s fair to the fans to know that… I will announce what shows I’m gonna be at, and I think it’s fair of the band to let the fans where and what lineup is gonna be playing, in that sense, and let them decide what they wanna do.”
Demmel also confirmed that he will perform at the Hell’s Heroes V preparty on March 23 in Houston, Texas and at the Milwaukee Metal Fest in late May in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but revealed that he will likely scale down his live appearances with the band, to the point where he will no longer play any live shows with the group.
The current lineup includes Killian, former Fear Factory, bassist Christian Olde Wolbers and guitarist Ira Black (Vicious Rumors, Heathen, Metal Church). Vio-Lence’s shows in Asia, Australia and New Zealand will feature only Killian from the lineup that played its first comeback gig in April 2019 at the Oakland Metro in Oakland, California which consisted of Killian, Demmel, Strickland, bassist Deen Dell, and guitarist Ray Vegas.
Check out our interview with Phil Demmel last summer about Vio-Lence, playing with Lamb of God and more: