Death Angel Release Statement After Drummer’s Tour Post Deletion

Since Death Angel dropped off their fall tour supporting W.A.S.P., drummer Will Carroll posted a statement and then deleted it, prompting the band to “set the record straight” in a follow-up of their own.

In late May, W.A.S.P. announced a North American tour which will see them playing their classic self-titled debut in full. Death Angel and Unto Others were originally slated as the special guests. However, on Tuesday (Aug. 13), veterans Armored Saint were revealed to be replacing Death Angel on the trek.

This change sparked plenty of fan speculation as to why Death Angel dropped off. Carroll said the word “betrayal” comes to mind regarding the tour withdrawal, but he clarified that W.A.S.P. is not to blame for the situation. Below is a timeline of events, Carroll’s widely reported post, and Death Angel’s latest statement.

On Aug. 13, W.A.S.P. announced that Armored Saint would replace Death Angel on the upcoming tour “due to unforeseen circumstances.” Death Angel reshared W.A.S.P.’s post, adding, “We apologize to our fans for any inconvenience this may have caused.”

With “a bunch of time freed up for the remainder of the year,” Carroll laid his intentions for the rest of the year bare in a since-deleted Facebook post. He said work on new Death Angel music with bandmate Rob Cavestany will continue and that he is interested in pursuing “other projects,” including recording in the studio as well as touring. Carroll added, “Please don’t ask me why we’re not on the W.A.S.P. tour in the comments below. I think it’s pretty obvious…”

Additional comments from Carroll suggest internal tension. “It really does,” he replied to Exodus guitarist Rick Hunolt, who said that the situation “fuckin’ sucks.” “The word BETRAYAL comes to mind,” the drummer reportedly continued, “We knew there would be problems at some point but not so immediately.”

Carroll, who has been a member of Death Angel since 2009, also called on fans to stop speaking ill of W.A.S.P. as the band had “absolutely nothing to do” with the group’s decision to drop off the fall tour. This post and comments were later deleted by Carroll.

Although Carroll never mentions it specifically, many fans have alluded that singer Mark Osegueda’s obligations as the frontman for Kerry King’s solo band are to blame. As detailed below, there is an obvious scheduling conflict with both groups.

After news of Carroll’s words traveled, Death Angel shared a statement on Facebook, aiming to “set the record straight on a few things.” The band confirmed that there is indeed a scheduling conflict and that was one of “various unforeseen circumstances” contributing to the decision to withdraw from the W.A.S.P. tour.

Death Angel expressed their appreciation to Blackie Lawless and the entire W.A.S.P. camp for graciously giving them the opportunity to tour with them and wished them a very successful tour.

Kerry King is scheduled to play two shows in Mexico in November — Nov. 6 in Mexico City opening for Amon Amarth and Nov. 8 in Guadalajara opening for Slipknot. Surrounding those dates, W.A.S.P. are in Denver on Nov. 5, Minneapolis, Minnesota on Nov. 7, and St. Charles, Illinois on Nov. 8.

To see more tour dates and to get tickets, head to W.A.S.P.’s website and Kerry King’s website.

Source: Loudwire, Blabbermouth