Lifted from their facebook page a few minutes ago:
Very sad and shocked to announce Benjamin has decided to leave Bloodshot Dawn, below is his statement. We will be looking for a new guitarist soon and plan to come back as strong as ever for more touring of Demons and to begin work on our third album very soon! Details of auditions will be available soon! Please leave your messages for Ben below and thanks for your continued !
This has been a difficult decision to make, but today I announce my departure from Bloodshot Dawn.
As you are all probably aware, things have been very quiet in the Bloodshot Dawn camp this year, as a few of the guys needed some time off to address health issues before the band could move forward at full strength again. We were all in agreement that this was absolutely necessary, but this quiet period gave me a chance to step back, reflect on things, and reconnect with my musical priorities.
While I am extremely proud of the music we have made with Bloodshot Dawn, there are certain musical ideas I have always wanted to pursue, that just aren’t possible with BSD. For this reason it’s now time for me to move on to new things.
I have put my heart and soul into this band for almost 6 years, and it has been a truly life changing experience. We have shared the stage with so many incredible bands and some of our musical heroes, met countless amazing people, and travelled to places I never thought I would see, let alone perform in! Of course, there’s been blood, sweat, tears and a good deal of stress too, but I have learnt so much and can’t believe some of the things we have achieved.
I would like to thank everyone who has ed Bloodshot Dawn and made this all possible. The bands we’ve played with; the promoters, booking agents, PR, and all our industry buddies; our friends, families and amazing fans; everyone who came out to a show, bought the albums, donned a t-shirt, shared our music, and backed our Kickstarter… I honestly cannot explain how grateful I am, and how fortunate I feel that we’ve had that kind of from you all.
Music is still, and always will be my ion. This is just a new chapter for me, and for Bloodshot Dawn. I have some exciting things to announce very soon, and rest assured I am hard at work making new music.
Finally, I want to say a huge thanks to all of my Bloodshot brothers, Josh, Janne, Ant, and Doug, for so many unforgettable memories. You have been a huge part of my life and I wish Bloodshot Dawn all the best for the future.
Benjamin Ellis
So, any budding guitarists out there looking for a job?
