JEROEN PAUL THESSELING IS TOO BUSY TO BE IN OBSCURA

Hi, everyone! I am back from my first vacation since 2006. I look forward to my next vacation in 2016. In the intervening five years, please do not send me countless e-mails about your friend’s terrible deathcore band, insisting that they are awesome. It would really help my stress level/ever-increasing therapy debt. Thanks!

ANYWAY, after sitting out by a lake in Connecticut for the past week, I returned to NYC and the MetalSucks Mansion to learn that bass players suck. I mean, I guess that’s not really fair; not all bass players suck. But between the news that Michael Todd is apparently the only rock star in the history of ever to not be able to score drugs without threatening to kill people, and now the news that Jeroen Paul Thessling has quit Obscura, and, well, one could reasonably deduce that bass players suck, or, at the very least, are inveterate heartbreakers.

So why oh why did he leave Obscura, mere months after the release of their latest and greatest album,  Omnivium? Here’s 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.”

So that blows. The silver lining, as far as I can tell, is that a) Thessling is still in Pestilence so we’ll still get to enjoy his mad bass skillz, and b) he only received one songwriting credit on Omnivium, which leads me to believe that if the band can find another awesome bass player — and there are certainly other awesome bass players out there — they’re gonna be alright. I mean, it’s not like this is the first time Obscura have had to switch bassists.

So I have no idea who is slappin’ dee bass with the band on their current tour with Children of Bodom, Devin Townsend, and Septicflesh (remaining dates here), but, uh, yeah, it ain’t Thesseling.

Be bummed out in the comments section.

-AR

P.S. We’ll be announcing the winner of the Obscura vape contest this week. Stay tuned!