Drummer Alex Rudinger Quits Whitechapel
Alex Rudinger has quit Whitechapel… barely more than two months after being officially named as the band’s new drummer.
Rudinger has been playing live with Whitechapel since 2019, but wasn’t formally announced as their new permanent drummer until this past September. He made his recording debut with the band on Kin, which was released on Metal Blade Records in October.
In a statement, Rudinger now says that the announcement regarding his joining the band “was made prematurely” and he “was never a full-time member.” He declines to offer a specific reason as to why he has decided to part ways with the band, asserting simply that “A number of things didn’t seem right to me, both professionally and personally.”
Rudinger’s statement reads in full:
“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.”
The highly-in-demand drummer’s illustrious history also includes playing with bands such as Intronaut, Light the Torch, The Faceless, Good Tiger, The HAARP Machine, Threat Signal, 7 Horns 7 Eyes, and Conquering Dystopia. His upcoming tour dates with Light the Torch (supporting Killswitch Engage) are as follows:
1/28 — Pittsburgh, PA — Stage AE [tickets]
1/29 — Silver Spring, MD — Fillmore [tickets]
1/31 — Stroudsburg, PA — Sherman Theater [tickets]
2/1 — Montreal, QC — M-Telus [tickets]
2/2 — Toronto, ON — Rebel [tickets]
2/4 — Wallingford, CT — The Dome [tickets]
2/5 — Portland, ME — State Theater [tickets]
2/6 — Boston, MA — House of Blues [tickets]
2/8 — New York, NY — Terminal 5 [tickets]
2/10 — Raleigh, NC — Ritz [tickets]
2/11 — Atlanta, GA — Tabernacle [tickets]
2/12 — Orlando, FL — House of Blues [tickets]
2/14 — Houston, TX — House of Blues [tickets]
2/15 — Dallas, TX — SouthSide Ballroom [tickets]
2/17 — Tempe, AZ — The Marquee [tickets]
2/18 — Los Angeles, CA — Wiltern [tickets]
2/19 — Las Vegas, NV — Brooklyn Bowl [tickets]
2/21 — Ventura, CA — Ventura Theater [tickets]
2/22 — Riverside, CA — Municipal Auditorium [tickets]
2/23 — San Francisco, CA — Warfield [tickets]
2/25 — Spokane, WA — Knitting Factory [tickets]
2/26 — Missoula, MT — Wilma Theater [tickets]
2/27 — Seattle, WA — Showbox SoDo [tickets]
3/1 — Boise, ID — Revolution [tickets]
3/2 — Salt Lake City, UT — Complex [tickets]
3/3 — Denver, CO — Fillmore [tickets]
3/5 — Green Bay, WI — EPIC Event Center [tickets]
3/6 — Minneapolis, MN — Fillmore [tickets]
3/7 — Chicago, IL — Radius [tickets]
3/8 — Columbus, OH — Express Live [tickets]
3/10 — Detroit, MI — Fillmore [tickets]
3/11 — Rochester, NY — Main Street Armory [tickets]
3/12 — Philadelphia, PA — Franklin Music Hall [tickets]
Whitechapel have not issued a response as of this writing. But the band is currently scheduled to play their sixth annual Christmas benefit show in Knoxville, TN on December 17, so, presumably, a new drummer will be announced soon.
Additionally, Whitechapel will tour with Cannibal Corpse, Revocation, and Shadow of Intent starting in February. Dates are as follows:
2/18/2022 Center Stage – Atlanta, GA [tickets]
2/19/2022 The Ramkat – Winston-Salem, NC [tickets]
2/20/2022 Baltimore Soundstage – Baltimore, MD
2/21/2022 Reverb – Reading, PA [tickets]
2/22/2022 The Roxian – Pittsburgh, PA [tickets]
2/24/2022 Brooklyn Steel – Brooklyn, NY [tickets]
2/25/2022 The Palladium – Worcester, MA [tickets]
2/26/2022 Anthology – Rochester, NY [tickets]
2/28/2022 The Majestic – Detroit, MI [tickets]
3/01/2022 The Vic – Chicago, IL [tickets]
3/02/2022 Skyway Theater – Minneapolis, MN [tickets]
3/04/2022 The Gothic – Denver, CO [tickets]
3/05/2022 Metro Music Hall – Salt Lake City, UT [tickets]
3/07/2022 Showbox – Seattle, WA [tickets]
3/08/2022 Hawthorne – Portland, OR [tickets]
3/10/2022 Ace Of Spades – Sacramento, CA [tickets]
3/11/2022 The UC Theatre – Berkeley, CA [tickets]
3/12/2022 The Observatory – Santa Ana, CA [tickets]
3/13/2022 The Belasco – Los Angeles, CA [tickets]
3/14/2022 The Van Buren – Phoenix, AZ [tickets]
3/15/2022 Sunshine Theater – Albuquerque, NM [tickets]
3/17/2022 Vibes Event Center – San Antonio, TX [tickets]
3/18/2022 White Oak Music Hall – Houston, TX [tickets]
3/19/2022 Amplified Live – Dallas, TX [tickets]
3/21/2022 Red Flag – St. Louis, MO [tickets]
3/22/2022 Mercury Ballroom – Louisville, KY [tickets]
3/23/2022 Iron City – Birmingham, AL [tickets]
3/25/2022 Jannus Live – St. Petersburg, FL [tickets]
3/26/2022 Revolution – Ft. Lauderdale, FL [tickets]
[via Lambgoat]
