Anthrax have less than two months to find a new guitarist to play Soundwave 2013 following the departure of Rob Caggiano.
Consequence of Sound reports that Caggiano quit the band overnight after 12 years with the group, saying it was “one of the hardest decisions” he’s ever made.
“I’ve always been one to follow my heart in everything that I do and while this might be one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make, it feels like the right one for me at this time,” Caggiano said in a statement.
“I’ve been blessed with the privilege of working with a wide range of great bands/artists from Anthrax and Cradle of Filth all the way to Bruce Springsteen, and I look forward to a hopeful continuation of that side of my career.”
Anthrax posted their own statement regarding Caggiano’s departure – saying they were considering several lead guitarist options.
“Rob has been an integral part of Anthrax for so many years, as our lead guitarist, in a production capacity, but most of all, as our close friend. His contributions to the band have been enormous. While we are sad that he is leaving, we wish him nothing but great success going forward, and hope to share the stage with him again sometime down the road.
“With the Metal Alliance Tour on the horizon, we have been considering several lead guitarist options, and will be making an announcement on that shortly.”
Anthrax will tour Australia as part of the Soundwave Festival in February and March. Following a tweet from Soundwave boss AJ Maddah yesterday, it also looks like the band are playing a sideshow in Brisbane at The Hi-Fi on February 21.
