Death Angel Issues Statement After Drummer Deletes Tour Post

Since Death Angel withdrew from their fall tour supporting W.A.S.P., drummer Will Carroll posted a statement and then deleted it, prompting the band to clarify the situation in a follow-up statement.

Back in late May, W.A.S.P. announced a North American tour where they would be playing their classic self-titled debut album in full. Death Angel and Unto Others were initially confirmed as the special guests for the tour. However, on August 13, Armored Saint was announced as the replacement for Death Angel due to unforeseen circumstances.

This lineup change sparked fan speculation, with Carroll himself mentioning “betrayal” when referring to their tour withdrawal. He was keen to note that W.A.S.P. was not at fault. Below is a timeline of events, including Carroll’s now-deleted post and comments, as well as Death Angel’s latest statement.

On August 13, W.A.S.P. announced that Armored Saint would be replacing Death Angel on their tour due to unforeseen circumstances. Death Angel reposted W.A.S.P.’s announcement, apologizing to their fans for any inconvenience caused.

With newfound free time for the rest of the year, Will Carroll elaborated on his plans in a now-deleted Facebook post. He expressed his intention to work on new Death Angel music with bandmate Rob Cavestany and showed interest in other projects, such as recording and touring. Carroll also urged fans not to inquire why they were no longer part of the tour, stating that the reasons should be “pretty f*cking obvious.”

Additional comments from Carroll suggested internal tension. Replying to Rick Hunolt of Exodus, Carroll agreed that the situation “sucks” and mentioned “betrayal.” He added that although they had anticipated problems, they did not expect them to arise so quickly.

Carroll, who has been with Death Angel since 2009, asked followers to stop blaming W.A.S.P. as the band had “absolutely nothing to do” with their withdrawal. Many fans speculated that Mark Osegueda’s commitments as the frontman for Kerry King’s solo project might be the reason, given the apparent scheduling conflict between the two groups.

On August 14, Death Angel aimed to “set the record straight” through a Facebook statement. The band confirmed that scheduling conflicts, among other unforeseen circumstances, led to their decision to pull out from the W.A.S.P. tour.

In light of recent events we’d like to set the record straight on a few things. We unfortunately had to drop off of the WASP tour due to various unforeseen circumstances and numerous scheduling conflicts that arose. We are more than appreciative of Blackie Lawless and the entire W.A.S.P. camp for so graciously giving us the opportunity and wish them a very successful tour.

Death Angel is committed to giving you the fans, only the very best of what we have to offer and we look forward to getting back to you all very soon.

Respectfully,
Death Angel

Kerry King has scheduled two shows in Mexico in November, which conflict directly with W.A.S.P.’s tour dates. Specifically, Kerry King will be in Mexico City on November 6, opening for Amon Amarth, and in Guadalajara on November 8, opening for Slipknot. Around the same period, W.A.S.P. will perform in Denver on November 5, Minneapolis on November 7, and St. Charles, Illinois on November 8.

This overlap in scheduling adds credence to the theory that the conflict arises from Osegueda’s dual commitments.

For more tour dates and ticket information, fans are encouraged to visit W.A.S.P.’s official website and Kerry King’s site.

Source: Loudwire, Getty Images