Californian rockers Avenged Sevenfold have announced that they are “moving forward” without Arin Ilejay. The official release comes from the bands website and states creative differences as the reason behind his departure. Arin has been the most consistent drummer in the band since the death of original member Jimmy ‘The Rev’ Sullivan in 2009. The band originally had Mike Portnoy as the replacement sticksman during touring dates in 2010 but his commitments to his other band Dream Theater meant that he would not stay in A7X. The departure of Arin has lead to many fans speculating whether or not this would lead to the return of Mike but the band have been hesitant to reveal too much stating that “While we can’t say more at this time, we are excited for the future and looking forward to sharing our plans soon”. The statement signed by the remaining band members hails Mike for his energy and drumming skills and proclaims love for him for helping them during “some very dark times”.
Could this spell a ‘Metallica like’ Cliff Burton scenario with A7X? Time will tell, but we at Rebellious Noise would like to wish Arin and the remaining members of Avenged Sevenfold the best in the future. Stay tuned for updates and check out the official statement below;
Hello Everyone –
We are writing this to inform you all that we will be moving forward without Arin IIejay as our drummer. Arin has been nothing but a positive energy and monster drummer for us over the past 4 years. We love the guy and always will. We are and will always be grateful to him for helping us to move forward through some very dark times. Creatively though, we felt we needed to move in a different direction. While we can’t say more at this time, we are excited for the future and looking forward to sharing our plans soon with the greatest fans in the world. As always we appreciate your understanding and unwavering support.With Love –
Matt, Zack, Brian, Johnny