A few days ago, Skeletonwitch announced that they would be going on a European tour with a new vocalist, Andy Horn. After the issues where Chance had to leave the band's last tour with Amon Amarth and the fact at he was no longer listed on the "About" page of the band's Facebook led us to wonder if Chance was even in the band anymore.
We go way back with Chance and the entire band, having interviewed and featured the band numerous times. Chance reached out to us asking to allow him to make his first public statements since the incidents that happened late last year causing him to leave the band's tour. We were very surprised with how candid Chance's comments are. Here they are, completely unaltered:
Hey everyone, Chance here. So, let me get into this whole thing in regards to what's up between myself and Skeletonwitch right now.
To put it simply, I have a drinking problem. I regularly became a drunk asshole off stage and was fired. Did I just up and split in the middle of tour, leaving the band to solider on as heroes instrumentally as indicated by all the reports? No. I was left behind, unsure about anything, with no communication. It was my girlfriend who told me they were firing me from the band. Two days later, when I could get someone to take my call, I asked "Is this it? Am I fired?". I was told, "Right now, you're not the singer in Skeletonwitch" and that the band would be finishing the tour instrumentally. If I had been given the opportunity beforehand to change what was wrong, or been told "Dude, you're too much, we can't take this shit, shape up or hit the bricks" then of course I would have. I mean, I've poured everything into this band for 11 years. It's been the first thing I think of when I wake up and last thing I think of before bed for that long. You know, the last person to see who's being an asshole is the person being the asshole. That was me, Guilty. I should have been able to recognize my own mistakes and faults and be able to fix my own shit. I'm not blaming anyone for not coming to me with an ultimatum about my behavior. I wish something like that would have happened, it didn't, what can I do? I'm not making an excuse for myself here, I own this; it's all mine. What do they say? Wish in one hand and shit in the other and what are you left holding? Well I'm holding it…with both hands.
Did I go home to address "serious issues"? Yes, absolutely. Upon arriving home I immediately sought help via a local intensive out patient program because if there was to be any hope of a future with the band, I had to change, no question. There's no excuse for blacking out and turning into a raging lunatic, not remembering what you have done the night before. Honestly, I still have no recollection of certain events even as I type this is. Look, I admit it; I fucked up. I can't change the past. I can only change the present and the future and am continuing to try to do just that.
I apologize to everyone that didn't get the full Skeletonwitch live show during the last half of the Amon Amarth tour late last year and to everyone in Europe that was expecting to see me front the band during the current festival/headline run. Believe me, I wanted to be there then and I want to be there now. I found out Skeletonwitch had a fill in vocalist for the current tour the same way everyone else did a couple days ago: on the internet. So, that's that, guys. I don't feel I am finished artistically. I don't feel my well has run dry lyrically. I'm still "Breathing the Fire". I'm sitting on notebooks full of ideas and I hope I get to perform for you guys again in the not so distant future. If I get that opportunity, I won't let you guys down. Thanks for everything, I hope to see all of you again.
Chance
Obviously, there are some unresolved issues between Chance and the remaining members of Skeletonwitch. We tried to reach out to the rest of Skeletonwitch to see if they had any response, but they have not gotten back to us by the time we had to publish this story. Should they respond we will keep you updated.
We also asked Chance about the reports surfacing of court records revealing he was charged with “assault and battery on a family/household member” in a Worcester, MA, which happened around the same time he left the tour but Chance chose not to comment on the matter and told us he said all he needed to say in the above statement.
