Founding VIO-LENCE guitarist Phil Demmel has denied claims that he demanded the band be disbanded following his departure from the group nearly two years ago.
Demmel’s final performance with the San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal outfit took place in February 2024 at the Carioca Club in São Paulo, Brazil.
In a recent social media post, Demmel shared the following:
I asked Sean to end the band with me, then perform the material as solo act as I felt the rapid turnover of the band wasn’t something I wanted to be involved with. When he told me he didn’t want to, I didn’t ask again. It was a request, not a demand. For my last few years of my time in Vio, Sean was doing the scheduling/ booking, I wasn’t making any band decisions. He’d ask me if I was available to play and I was able to cherry-pick the gigs I wanted/could do until it was time for me to stop. I was in no way ‘controlling’ the band or making unilateral band decisions (except maybe getting [former FEAR FACTORY bassist] Christian on board to fill in) that I can recall. Sean and I decided on things together. Vio-Lence is forging ahead as am I. Can everyone else?
