Technical death metal band Vitriol have entered full scale meltdown mode, with newly recruited guitarist Keith Merrow alleging that the entire touring lineup quit mid tour and left founding member Kyle Rasmussen stranded at a gas station in Vermont.
Merrow shared the news via Instagram, where he claimed that he, bassist Brett Leier, drummer Andy Vincenzetti, and another musician named Matt collectively decided to exit the tour after reaching breaking point. According to Merrow, Rasmussen’s pattern of “cowardly and weak outbursts of misplaced anger” pushed the group to walk away for good.
Unfortunately Vitriol’s instability isn’t new , the band has weathered countless lineup shifts, often leaving Rasmussen as its lone constant. This latest collapse feels like a tipping point though, Vitriol have built a reputation on blistering, oppressive intensity, and it now seems the internal dynamic may be just as volatile as the music.
Merrow’s full statement reads:
“HE FUCKED AROUND AND FOUND OUT.
I’LL BE HOME FOR THANKSGIVING, BABY.
SORRY VITRIOL FANS. WE HAD TO ABANDON HIM AT A GAS STATION IN VERMONT.
MYSELF, ANDY, BRETT, AND MATT WILL NOT TAKE KYLE’S COWARDLY AND WEAK OUTBURSTS OF MISPLACED ANGER.
WE GAVE EVERYTHING WE HAD, AND NOW HAVE NOW LEFT YOU WITH NOTHING. MASS EXODUS.
THIS WAS THE DARKEST DAY OF MY MUSIC CAREER TO DATE.”
As of now, Rasmussen hasn’t responded, and the band’s official pages are silent, with the tour hanging by a thread, fans are now questioning whether Vitriol can recover, or if this is the breaking point that ends the project entirely.
Remaining dates
Nov 25 | Montreal, QC | Foufone’s Cabaret
Nov 26 | Toronto, ON | The Baby G
Nov 27 | London, ON | Honey Dip
Nov 28 | Detroit, MI | Sanctuary
Nov 29 | Columbus, OH | Spacebar
Nov 30 | Chicago, IL | Reggies
Dec 02 | Denver, CO | The Roxy
Dec 04 | Boise, ID | Shredder
Dec 05 | Seattle, WA | Substation
Dec 06 | Portland, OR | Twilight
For a band built on extremity, the real life fallout may be the most brutal chapter they’ve faced yet.
