Whitechapel announced Alex Rüdinger as their new drummer back in September, about a month before the release of Kin. Rüdinger drummed on the new Whitechapel album Kin and had been filling in with the band live since 2019. Unfortunately Rüdinger has now announced his exit from the band.
According to Rüdinger, a "number of things didn't seem right to me, both professionally and personally" with the band. He also adds that he was never a full-time member of the band despite the announcement, and was "treated and compensated as a hired-gun the entire time, including the writing and recording of Kin." Still, Rüdinger wishes the band well and has also announced he'll be drumming live with Light The Torch.
"Whitechapel's first show since Covid began is right around the corner. Since I won't be there, it's probably time to make this known: A while back, I resigned from Whitechapel. I offered to keep this under wraps until sometime after the album was released. Despite the fact that I'm no longer with them, I'm immensely proud of the new album, and I didn't want anything to distract from the music / release itself.
"There were certainly reasons for this decision, but I've always felt that it's incredibly unprofessional for an artist to divulge all of their issues publicly. All I'm going to say is: A number of things didn't seem right to me, both professionally and personally, so I decided to move on.
"Additionally, for the record: Despite their semi-recent post, I was never a full-time member of the band. I'm sorry to disappoint anyone, but that announcement was made prematurely. It was discussed, but significant details were never addressed. I was never asked to sign anything, nor did I have any knowledge on the inner workings of the business itself. I was treated and compensated as a hired-gun the entire time, including the writing and recording of Kin.
"At any rate – to any Whitechapel fans, fret not. They were a band long before I came into the picture, and I've no doubts that they'll find a suitable replacement and keep truckin' right along. I'm still incredibly thankful that I got the opportunity to play and write with them, and I wish them well.
"I'm not entirely sure what's next for me. In the immediate, I'll be playing with Light The Torch on the upcoming U.S. tour supporting Killswitch Engage and August Burns Red. I've worked with Light The Torch periodically in recent years, and I'm quite looking forward to performing live with 'em. Past that, I guess we'll see!
"And if you're still reading: Big love to all you people that've followed my work over the years (regardless of where I've gone)! Things haven't always panned out the way I imagined, but I'm still so thankful for all of these experiences – good and bad alike. I wouldn't have had the opportunity to experience ANY of it without you all, so for real – thank you."
Whitechapel has a tour coming up in February with Cannibal Corpse, Revocation, and Shadow Of Intent.
