Avenged Sevenfold are once again making a change behind the drumkit. The band revealed in a new posting that they are parting ways with drummer Arin Ilejay. The split appears to be due to creative differences.

In their posting the band thanks the drummer for his time in the band and state that he was "nothing but a positive energy and monster drummer for us over the past four years." They also state that even with Ilejay no longer part of the band, they still have plenty of love for the musician. You can check out the band's official statement on the matter below.

Hello Everyone –

We are writing this to inform you all that we will be moving forward without Arin IIejay as our drummer. Arin has been nothing but a positive energy and monster drummer for us over the past 4 years. We love the guy and always will. We are and will always be grateful to him for helping us to move forward through some very dark times. Creatively though, we felt we needed to move in a different direction. While we can’t say more at this time, we are excited for the future and looking forward to sharing our plans soon with the greatest fans in the world. As always we appreciate your understanding and unwavering support.

With Love –

Matt, Zack, Brian, Johnny

The band found themselves in need of a drummer after the tragic death of The Rev in 2009. The group recorded their Nightmare album with the assistance of Dream Theater's Mike Portnoy, recruiting the musician as a tribute knowing that he was The Rev's favorite drummer. Portnoy not only recorded with the group, but also joined the band on tour during promotion of the album in 2010, but by early 2011 Avenged Sevenfold decided a change was in order.

Ilejay joined the group first as a touring member, but over time the group settled in on Ilejay and had him record on their Hail to the King disc in 2013. It is not known as of yet what Ilejay's next step will be and as the band teased in their statement, they're not ready to share what the future holds in terms of who will man the kit for them. Stay tuned to see how it plays out.

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