Bassist Ashley Purdy has parted ways with Black Veil Brides in a mutual agreement between both parties.

The bassist – who has been with the band since 2009 – is yet to comment on the split, with a short announcement on Black Veil Brides’ social media simply reading: “Black Veil Brides and Ashley Purdy have mutually agreed to part ways. We have enjoyed a wonderful run together and both parties wish one another continued success moving forward.”

It’s not clear yet how this will affect BVB’s future plans, with the band currently working on an upcoming reissue of their debut album We Stitch These Wounds, as well as brand-new material.

“We intend on doing the 10-year anniversary re-release and rework some of those songs,” frontman Andy Biersack told Kerrang! in March. “It’s funny that we’re doing it now because I’ve been trying to do it since 2013. I can remember Jake [Pitts, guitar] and I sitting on the bus going, ‘We gotta do this,’ because in just three years we were better as musicians and knowing how to be in the studio – we wanted to give those songs a fair shake.



Read this next: 20 bands who found fame on MySpace

“Sonically they’re so poor in the way they’re recorded, not by anybody’s fault, but we just didn’t have much money for what we were doing. I would love to hear what they sound like done now. Vocally, for me, I’d love to be able to sing those songs now.

“Also we intend on doing some new songs for it and everything. Jake, Jinxx [guitar] and I have been working on that, and Jake’s probably going to produce the whole thing. Moving forward I don’t know what the future holds. Whatever we do it’s going to be something entirely different because we closed the chapter with Vale on what that era of the band was. It’s actually kind of exciting to know that moving forward, it’s going to be different, it’s going to be fun and exciting.”

Read Black Veil Brides’ statement on Ashley below: