Well this is sort of a bummer, bassist extraordinaire Jeroen Paul Thesseling has announced his departure from technical heavyweights Obscura. Thesseling cites scheduling conflicts as his reason for leaving, which sucks because he was a very vitol part of what made the band rule. Here is his official statement:
"Due to repetitive conflicting schedules with job related obligations I have decided to depart Obscura. Beside the limited availability that kept me away from touring during the last months, I feel like taking new directions in my musical development.
"Looking back, the cooperation with Obscura has been positive and successful. However, it's time to move on and find new challenges and opportunities for my musical career.
"I would like to thank all the fans who supported us and wish Obscura all the best with their future work."
Damn! Well, the band is still soildering on and is on tour in the States all summer with Children of Bodom and the Devin Townsend Project. For more on Jeron's setup, check out a piece we did on him for our series Instruments of Death.
[ via Blabbermouth ]