Founding member of British metalcore band Asking Alexandria, Ben Bruce, announced his decision to leave the band recently. In an Instagram story reported on by Metal Injection, the lead guitarist and backing vocalist for the band posted a statement from Bruce:
“To my amazing AAFamily. First and foremost I want to say thank you to everyone for the years of love and support. It means more to me than you can imagine. I’ve spent my entire life dedicated to music. It’s been my first love since about the age of 2 and the journey I’ve been on has been absolutely incredible as I’ve grown older and my life has inevitably changed, I have come to realize how precious time is. The time I have spent with all of you has been the time of my life. But now it’s time to dedicate my life to my family.
“On top of family medical situations, leaving my children means missing out on too many important moments in their lives. It’s so important for me to be there for them as they grow, and to be here for my family as they need me to be, which means, after a lot of thought, I will be stepping away from Asking Alexandria. Thank you to everyone who has come and seen me play live and listened to the songs I’ve written over the years. The memories will live on in my heart forever. I truly love you all so much for the years of support you’ve given me and Asking Alexandria. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
Bruce’s departure from the band comes as a particular shock considering that, well, it’s Bruce’s band. While a lot of bands are founded by the vocalist—as that’s usually the person with the ego big enough to start a band—Bruce was actually the true founder of Asking Alexandria.
Bruce originally started the band in 2006 in Dubai with a completely different lineup of musicians before relocating back to the UK in 2008 and replacing all the band members. That means that, following Bruce’s departure, the band will have none of its original members and none of the members who recorded the band’s first EP and LP. Replacing band members until you retain none of the original members is called Menudoing. Okay, I actually just made up the word “Menudoing,” but I think it should catch on.
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