Underoath have parted ways with longtime guitarist James Smith. According to a March 28th post on the axman's Instagram, he was just "informed" that he was no longer a part of the metalcore institution, who he joined in 2003 and has remained with ever since, save for the two years between 2013 and 2015 when the band were broken up.
"After 20 years of music and friendship, I was informed that I'm no longer a member of Underoath," Smith wrote in the post. "This saddens me to say, but unfortunately is where we have ended up. I appreciate everyone who, at any moment in their lives, have felt inspired, accepted, comforted, and energized by the music we created and the shows we performed together.
"It has been my honor and privilege to be a part of your lives in that way though we may have never met or shared our stories face to face. Your dedicated, grace, and love for this band have allowed us to exist this long. The memories I have from this ride are more than anyone could ever expect in a lifetime, and I genuinely thank you all for being a part of it."
Underoath have yet to comment on Smith's departure, and it's unclear if he'll be performing with the band for the remaining four dates of their current tour with Periphery and Loathe. See Smith's post below.
