I can't believe this isn't one of my articles for The Hard Times. Three-quarters of death metal act Vitriol have decided to jump ship in the middle of their tour, according to guitarist Keith Merrow. He and his fellow instrumentalists stranded vocalist Kyle Rasmussen at a Vermont gas station. The reason, you ask? Merrow, bassist Brett Leier, and drummer Andy Vincenzetti were fed up with Rasmussen's "cowardly and weak outbursts of misplaced anger," according to a post on Merrow's Instagram Story.

It's a bit of a Band of Theseus situation, given that Rasmussen is the last original member of Vitriol remaining; for a time, he was the only member, due to various lineup shake-ups. Now, the frontman has opened up with his series of events.

While I won't attempt to transcribe all 40-plus minutes of the man's monologue, he acknowledges his own anger issues and alleges that cocaine usage occurred between all band members, with a day-long bender preceding the gas station fracas. Merrow and Rasmussen got into an altercation, with the latter trying to protect his girlfriend and dog after the guitarist threatened to stab him. This all led to the band dumping Rasmussen, girlfriend Maggie, and dog Ghost in the snow, along with the vocalist's equipment.

Rasmussen also took the opportunity to condemn Merrow's handling of band finances and expressed regret to Vitriol fans over how the tour came to an abrupt conclusion. The frontman has posted a GoFundMe to assist in getting home, while the trio of musicians who left him in the dust plan to start a new band under a different name. Life imitating art!