Somewhat sad news coming out of the Soreption camp today. Only a week after the official release of their sophomore album Engineering The Void, which I gave a peerless 5/5 in my recent review, the Swedish tech-death maestros have parted ways with bass player and long standing member Rickard Persson.
In an official announcement on the bands Facebook page Persson himself announced his departure citing the touring lifestyle as the main reason:
“The reason for this is the life on the road, to be away from home as much as it takes for the band to be succesful and to miss out on things that I’m not ready to do.”…”
Fortunately the split seems amicable at eye level, with Persson expressing his love of the band and their achievements thus far:
“It’s with a heavy heart that I say goodbye, w(h)ich will take place at the release party of ‘Engineering..’ and it feels really good to have one last gig with the band. I wish the guys all the best in the future and I will follow their success as a fan from now on.”
While Soreption have no scheduled tour dates for the near future, questions now have to be asked regarding how they are going to replace a member of nine years – and one with such clear talent on the ‘ole four-stringer. The touring life is clearly not for every active musician out there and the trials and tribulations of spending so much time on the road has claimed another victim here.
In the meantime, check out Persson’s chops on the bass in this recording session for the most excellent Engineering The Void.
-MM