Turns Out Shannon Larkin and Tony Rombola Quit Godsmack Months Ago

Remember how late last month, Godsmack hit the stage in Sofia, Bulgaria with a completely different lineup than they’ve run for years. Gone were drummer Shannon Larkin and guitarist Tony Rombola — in their places were Evanescence’s Will Hunt and Dorothy’s Sam Bam Koltun, respectively.

No one really knew what was going on and vocalist Sully Erna was being a bit coy about the situation in an interview, saying it was a “tricky question to answer right now at this stage.” But now, Larkin’s cleared the air in a recent interview and it sounds like we’ve all been in the dark for a while now.

“There’s been lots of speculation about that. First of all, I just want to thank everyone for the outpouring of texts from all my family and friends. I’m okay, Tony’s okay.

“We did quit the band last year after lots of talking to Sully and Robbie, and they understood that we didn’t want to tour anymore. That’s the reason. We understood that they wanted to tour, and so we understood each other and in the end, Godsmack’s out there touring and we are out here happily living our lives. Tony’s turning 60. I’m turning 58. It’s not a physical thing. We just want to be home with everything that we love. 40 years I’ve been touring, 28 years for Rombola. We’re getting a little older so we decided to quit.

“It wasn’t a bad thing. I will talk more about it in the future, but it’s all love. We’re brothers for life with Sully and Robby, and we wish Will and Sam all the best. All the fans, keep going – they’re kicking ass. Sully said at the very end, ‘all good things must come to an end.’ Godsmack didn’t come to an end, it’s just a new chapter for them, and it’s certainly a new chapter for Tony and I. We’re already making new music and everybody’s happy.”

So there you have it. Both of those dudes are officially out of the band. Godsmack has yet to officially comment on Larkin and Rombola’s departures.