Sunk Loto have announced that they have parted ways with guitarist Luke McDonald. The recently reformed Gold Coast metal icons made the announcement via their official Facebook this evening.
The message, which you can see below, reads:
"To our fans,
We are aware of a recent post on social media that Luke is no longer in Sunk Loto.
We can confirm this is true. We had hoped to release a joint statement and part ways gracefully as was discussed, but unfortunately, a completely false and one-sided version of the accounts has been posted prematurely
We found ourselves in a very volatile situation where we had to make one of two choices
1. Allow the band to break up again for the exact same reasons as we did 16 years ago
OR
2. Stand up against abusive and controlling behavior and move on with a new member
We understand this may be disappointing news for some, particularly when things all appear well from the outside..... however, this was the only way for Sunk to carry on into the future.
This was not a decision we made lightly, but when someone is repeatedly abusive and threatening toward people they claim to love and respect, the relationship needs to end.
Rest assured our planned Between Birth & Death anniversary tour is 100% going ahead in October/November, and we have been fortunate enough to recruit one of the best musicians in the country to strap on the guitar as a full-time member.
Stay tuned for some big news dropping ASAP!
We appreciate your ongoing love and support
Jas, Sean and Dane"
The band's post came in response to a post by McDonald earlier in the evening, in which McDonald stated that he had been fired by the band through email, alluding to a disagreement regarding payment for Sunk Loto's successful reunion run last year. In the post which can be seen below, McDonald wrote:
"Hi, Just wanted to say hello to all my loyal fans. The last few months have been really hard for me, because I have wanted to tell you that I was fired by the Band through an email. Of course, I was very shocked and hurt by this, as I worked very hard to get the band back together. But because the Band has made negotiations so difficult, in relation to money that they owe me from the last tour, I have not been able to speak out. Negotiations are still going on, but for the sake of my own well-being and the fans, I felt I needed to come out with this information as soon as I could. I hope you understand that I love you all as fans, and I’m sorry that I won’t be seeing you on this Tour."
Sunk Loto reformed after a fifteen-year hiatus last year, playing a sold-out run of shows across the country. Prior to that run of shows, we spoke to the reunited Jason Brown and Luke McDonald and over the course of our extensive interview they seemed to be in a good place, and all reports from those shows indicate McDonald performed well, so the rift has come as an unwelcome surprise for fans of Sunk Loto, if not for the band themselves. As per their message, Sunk Loto still intends to play a highly-anticipated run of shows later this year to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their landmark album Between Birth and Death.
Between Birth and Death peaked #48 on the ARIA Albums Chart, with engineer Paul McKercher snagging an ARIA nomination for his work on the album the following year, Between Birth and Death has remained the Sunk Loto's second and seemingly final album - that is, until 2023. With the band confirming a brand new album is currently in the works, the exhilarating new Sunk Loto chapter appears to be in full and thunderous swing.
This tour shapes as a chance for the band and fans to relive the likes of 5 Years of Silence, Everything Everyway and Past Tense Existence live in one glorious trip down memory lane before the new material unfurls.
Listen to Between Birth and Death
