Last month, founding Suicide Silence guitarist Chris Garza announced that he’s taking a hiatus from performing with the band to “press the reset button” on himself, though he emphasized how he by no means is quitting the band (THANKFULLY). Their other guitarist Mark Heylmun has himself taken a hiatus before, and recently commented on that, as well as his bandmate’s hiatus, and who is subbing in while Garza gathers himself—Ian Waye of Soreption.
Helymun’s detailed statement reads:
Guitarist Mark Heylmun commented on his Instagram:
“Hey everyone, with the news of Garza’s hiatus I thought I’d share some things I feel pertinent.
“I’ve been in this band since 2005. I did not start this band, but I’ve been a part of creating every piece of music (for better or worse) that you’ve heard minus the EP and early demos. I did play the EP release show at showcase theatre in my first months of joining.
“I took a break from the band for about 9 months in 2019 because I was preparing for my father’s passing who was fighting cancer and I knew it was only a matter of time. I never shared that publicly because I didn’t want my dad to know I was taking the break because of him. I’d have taken a longer break but was asked to come back to help write what became Become The Hunter.
“I fully support/respect Garza’s decision to take a break. That said, SS is a part of my blood and DNA at this point and this band has always been a 5 headed dragon and the show must go on, and it will.
“I speak for the guys when I say we’re stoked to have a ripping fill in step up to the plate for all upcoming shows. We are bringing our friend @themilkywaye of Soreption on board as fill in for the upcoming European and Asian tours. For anyone familiar with Ian’s playing you know he has a heavy right hand and can rip with the best of em. If it’s brief or if it’s for a while, we are gonna bring some serious firepower to every stage we step foot on as we always have. Can’t wait to see you all on the road!”
Welcome to the fam, Ian! He’ll fit right in.