Austin Carlile: Of Mice & Men Man Bows Out In Farewell Statement
Of Mice & Men vocalist Austin Carlile released a statement on Friday announcing his leave of the popular Rise Records metal band. As followers of the band are acutely aware, Carlile has been hampered with difficulty in continued touring and recording with the band due to an inherited health disorder called Marfan syndrome.
Although Austin has long been the mainstay in Of Mice & Men — from the metalcore group’s formation in Orange County, California, in 2009, to their four records for Rise; Of Mice & Men (2010), The Flood (2011), Restoring Force (2014), and last year’s Cold World — he asserted that the band, Of Mice & Men, will continue on without him.
Does that mean we can expect a forthcoming fifth record from Of Mice & Men, the now-quartet of guitarists Phil Manansala and Alan Ashby, bassist Aaron Pauley, and drummer Valentino Arteaga? Is the suddenly Carlile-less band secretly planning on announcing a new singer, maybe, perhaps, at some point in the future?
RELATED REPORTS FROM THE INQUISITR
Pearl Jam Hall Of Fame Drummer Dispute: Dave Abbruzzese Snubbed?
Blink-182 Named Most Animal-Friendly Band Among Miley Cyrus, Davey Havok
Bob Dylan’s Nobel Prize Speech Invokes Shakespeare, Hemingway
As reported by Hollywood Life, the Of Mice & Men singer prefaced his parting with words begat of the same shell-shocked weariness assumed in a war-torn soldier. Austin Carlile leaving Of Mice & Men was the uncovered word, delivered by the longtime frontman in a simple speech on Twitter and Instagram. Austin apparently wanted to make the announcement during “the mess that is 2016,” rather than drag the timeline into the new year.
“I never thought I would be writing this… Wanted to leave this announcement in the mess that is 2016…”
As reported by Loudwire, Austin Carlile described his resignation from Of Mice & Men as the “hardest thing” that’s happened to him in recent memory. The metal vocalist thanked his family, friends, and fans for their enduring support for Of Mice & Men during his ongoing struggle with Marfan syndrome, the connective tissue syndrome that’s resulted in multiple surgeries for the musician who composed underground hits such as “Second & Sebring.”
“This has been the hardest thing that has happened in my life for a very long time, but thankfully the band, my family and closest friends stand behind me and understand. They have all seen personally how much pain I had to endure and especially the last two years as my spine was tearing apart, but I kept going, I gave it my all, and cannot express this enough.”
As covered by Alternative Press, Carlile updated fans as to the news of his health (and his exit from the band) by way of a heartfelt, lengthy post on Instagram. In the message, Austin once again informed fans of his daily health woes and revealed that his recent downtime was the reason for several Of Mice & Men cancellations of late.
“As most of you know I battle daily with a rare fibrostic connective tissue disorder called Marfan syndrome. Due to recent issues arising from this, we have cancelled the remainder of our European tour. It breaks my heart but the band & myself have decided it was unsafe for me to continue on in this state of health.”
RELATED REPORTS FROM THE INQUISITR
Gavin Rossdale: Kid-Free Christmas & Bush ‘Razorblade Suitcase’ Reissue
Paul McCartney Celebrates Abbey Road Studios’ 85th Birthday
Blink-182’s ‘She’s Out Of Her Mind’ Video: Adam DeVine & Naked Women
Are you a fan of Of Mice & Men? How do you feel about Austin Carlile leaving the band? Do you like Rise Records? Let us know your thoughts on Austin and his (now former) band of mice and men in the comments section below.
[Featured Image by Charley Gallay/Getty Images]
