DevilDriver Part Ways With Bassist Diego “Ashes” Ibarra

It’s pretty widely acknowledged that outside of frontman Dez Fafara and lead guitarist Mike Speitzer, the ranks of groove metal heavyweights DevilDriver are in a state of constant flux. While previous members like drummer John Boecklin and guitarist Jeff Kendrick lasted longer than others, the general understanding is that this is Dez’s show, and it’s a show that exists to make records and head out on tour with pretty intense consistency, so if that’s not what you’re into, someone else has to be found to take your place. Now, the band have parted ways with bassist Diego Ibarra after some six years of his tenure among their ranks.

Ibarra announced his departure via a post on his Facebook, saying the following:

“Hey everyone I just wanted to let you know I have officially parted ways with Devildriver it was an honor to play with some of the most talented musicians thus far in my career. I wish Devildriver the best and look forward to what the future holds and new musical chapters”

We’d say this is a bummer, except we don’t know if it is. This is about as innocuous and good-natured a band departure posts as one can find on the Internet – Ibarra didn’t take a moment to blast Dez or the band, or claim he was underpaid, or anything like that. Maybe that’ll come to light later, but as of now, this is a pretty standard move for DevilDriver. They’ll make it work as they’ve done in the past; whoever takes over from Diego will be the band’s fourth bassist since their inception.

All that said, good luck to both Diego and the band in all their future endeavors, and we hope this split is as drama-free as it seems. Keep your eyes peeled for a new DevilDriver bassist announcement some time in the coming weeks.