Brent Purgason, who has been performing as Pustulus Maximus in GWAR since 2012, has announced his departure from the band.
The news comes via the guitarist's Instagram, where he shared that he was "leaving on good terms and will still be around to help out some behind the scenes." He added, "To what degree, I don't know yet but our creative lives are still very much tied together.
"Playing and performing as PUSTULUS MAXIMUS has been quite the experience and I'll be forever grateful for it. I want to extend my utmost appreciation for all the support given to me by the fans over the years," Purgason wrote. "They have been kind, generous and enthusiastic for the band and my character throughout my tenure and I couldn't ask to ever perform in front of a greater group of people. It has been an honour to spill blood on you."
He chalked up his decision to leave to growth and a shift in priorities, pointing out that "this was a very different band" when he joined and he "was a very different person." To his former bandmates, whom Purgason said "invited him in not only to perform but to become an owner of the band, a friend and a brother," the musician dedicated a verse of Rush's "A Farewell to Kings."
Purgason has played on every GWAR album since 2013's Battle Maximus, which also marked late vocalist Dave Brockie's final performance as Oderus Urungus.
See Purgason's statement below.
GWAR just wrapped up a North American tour behind their 2022 album, The New Dark Ages.
The news comes via the guitarist's Instagram, where he shared that he was "leaving on good terms and will still be around to help out some behind the scenes." He added, "To what degree, I don't know yet but our creative lives are still very much tied together.
"Playing and performing as PUSTULUS MAXIMUS has been quite the experience and I'll be forever grateful for it. I want to extend my utmost appreciation for all the support given to me by the fans over the years," Purgason wrote. "They have been kind, generous and enthusiastic for the band and my character throughout my tenure and I couldn't ask to ever perform in front of a greater group of people. It has been an honour to spill blood on you."
He chalked up his decision to leave to growth and a shift in priorities, pointing out that "this was a very different band" when he joined and he "was a very different person." To his former bandmates, whom Purgason said "invited him in not only to perform but to become an owner of the band, a friend and a brother," the musician dedicated a verse of Rush's "A Farewell to Kings."
Purgason has played on every GWAR album since 2013's Battle Maximus, which also marked late vocalist Dave Brockie's final performance as Oderus Urungus.
See Purgason's statement below.
GWAR just wrapped up a North American tour behind their 2022 album, The New Dark Ages.