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Founding Vio-Lence<\/a><\/strong> guitarist Phil Demmel<\/strong> quit the band earlier this year. Demmel<\/strong> has since found success with Kerry King<\/a><\/strong>‘s solo band and his new group Category 7<\/strong>, and is still the on-call dude for every metal band under the sun that needs a live guitarist.<\/p>\n But why did Demmel<\/strong> quit the band he helped found in 1985? In a new interview with 107.7 The Bone<\/em>, Demmel<\/strong> said the band’s turnover rate made it not the same band it once was. For those unaware, Vio-Lence<\/a><\/strong> is currently longtime vocalist Sean Killian<\/strong> and bassist Christian Olde Wolbers<\/strong>, who joined in 2020, alongside a bunch of live members.<\/p>\n “The Vio-Lence<\/a><\/strong> thing just became\u2026 [Drummer] Perry<\/strong> [Strickland<\/strong>] left, or Perry<\/strong>‘s no longer in the band, and it just became \u2014 and I love Christian<\/strong> \u2014 it just became something not familiar anymore. And it hit me when we played the Whisky [in February 2023] and it was Adrian<\/strong> [Aguilar<\/strong>], the drummer’s first show. And we were having this kid Miles Dimitri Baker<\/strong>, who plays in Ice Nine Kills<\/a><\/strong> right now, come down, and he was gonna be my fill-in [for some dates]. And so he was gonna play on a song or two.<\/p>\n “And I show up to the show and I walk backstage and, man, there was 50 people backstage and I knew maybe [the guys in] the band and a couple of other people. It was just, like, ‘Man, this isn’t my home anymore. This doesn’t feel like home.’ And no slight against the dudes, ’cause I loved playing with Adrian<\/strong>, I loved playing with Christian<\/strong>, and Ira<\/strong> [Black<\/strong>, ex-Vio-Lence<\/a><\/strong> guitarist] really worked hard for the band and was a big \u2014 he was a big fighter for the band. He worked hard. He cared a lot. Ira was a very productive member of Vio-Lence<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n “But with everything that was happening, it was just time for me to go\u2026 The Kerry<\/strong> [King<\/strong>] thing was firing up, the Category 7<\/strong> thing was firing up, and [I] just [did] not [want to] let that be a distraction from [the other stuff I was doing].”<\/p>\n