Godsmack is currently touring Europe, but the trek kicked off with two new faces on drums and guitar. Will Hunt of Evanescene and Sam Bam Colton of Dorothy and Faster Pussycat were reportedly filling in for Shannon Larkin and Tony Rombola.
Singer Sully Erna told Z-Rock in Bulgaria that “personal things” were keeping Larkin and Rombola away from the tour and the band was still “trying to figure out exactly what’s happening.”
In a since-deleted video on Facebook, Larkin addressed their absence saying they quit the group last year. “There’s been lots of speculation,” he said. “First of all, I just want to thank everyone for the outpouring of texts from all my family and friends. I’m okay, Tony’s okay.”
He continued: “We did quit the band last year after lots of talking to Sully and Robbie, and they understood that we didn’t want to tour anymore. That’s the reason. We understood that they wanted to tour, and so we understood each other. And in the end Godsmack’s out there touring and we are out here happily living our lives. Tony’s turning 60. I’m turning 58. It’s not a physical thing. We just want to be home with everything that we love. 40 years I’ve been touring, 28 years for Rombola. We’re getting a little older, so we decided to quit.”
Larkin insists that there’s no bad blood among the band. “It wasn’t a bad thing,” he said. “I will talk more about it in the future, but it’s all love. We’re brothers for life with Sully and Robbie, and we wish Will and Sam all the best. All the fans, keep going — they’re kicking ass. Sully said at the very end, ‘All good things must come to an end.’ Godsmack didn’t come to an end, it’s just a new chapter for them, and it’s certainly a new chapter for Tony and I. We’re already making new music and everybody’s happy.”
