Rings Of Saturn guitarist Joel Omans recently quit the band, leaving founder Lucas Mann and drummer Ryan Sinnott as its remaining members. Now Mann has issued his own statement on Omans' departure, noting that he's a little confused about the split but that he respects Omans launching his own band Animation Sequence.
For those unaware, Rings Of Saturn was dropped by Nuclear Blast in 2021 after Mann began threatening the label by saying he'd make public statements "'condemning Nuclear Blast in the strongest terms possible' if the label does not give in to his baseless demands." Rings Of Saturn has since become an instrumental band – a choice they've made into countless memes.
Mann's statement on Omans' is as follows:
"Recently Joel Omans left Rings Of Saturn for the second time. I 100% respect and support his decision. I encourage everyone to support his project Animation Sequence and any other future project that he may create or become a part of. Joel was one of the few people in the music industry who I not only considered a business partner, but also a friend. I still feel this way, and continue to have the utmost support and respect for him.
"I have always valued Joel and his contributions to the band over the years. He is a very talented guitarist and goes above and beyond for whatever project that he is a part of.
"Joel Omans' departure from the band came as a complete surprise to me because he was publicly and privately a big part of the decisions the band made after he had rejoined. The band's instrumental direction, what members were in the band, and even the 'No Vocals' shirt for example were all discussed thoroughly and agreed upon before moving forward together.
"Having healthy communication is important, and if Joel and I couldn't come to an agreement or compromise on something then it simply wouldn't happen. This is why I can't help but to also feel confused with his sudden departure and lack of communication over the whole situation because we both were planning to release a new Rings Of Saturn album (or EP) this year, planned on attending the next NAMM as a band, and had solid tour offers for next year.
"This is a big change, but Rings Of Saturn still plans on releasing new music sometime later this year, and there will be more announcements to come as our plans shift.
"As for defensive comments I have made recently acknowledging that 'Rings Of Saturn IS the Lucas Mann project,' I stand by those. I originally founded the band, so that is fair for me to say. Joel Omans originally founded Animation Sequence, so it would be fair to say that Animation Sequence IS the Joel Omans project in the same regard. I would have no issues with statements like that for anyone in the position of being the sole founder of a project, and I have seen more established bands similarly acknowledge this same thing.
"As for my comments about the extent of my roles in Rings Of Saturn, I stand by those too. I have always overseen every aspect of Rings Of Saturn, just like Joel Omans has overseen every aspect of Animation Sequence. They are both our projects respectively, so that makes sense. These statements do not discredit or overshadow anyone, and are a fair thing to say in both instances.
"Our new single 'Theogony' was well received as being Joel Omans' creative writing direction. He received hundreds of thousands of plays on his reels, and all of the promotion benefited him and the band as a whole. As long as Rings Of Saturn is prioritized, I have always encouraged members to start other musical projects, join other bands, or fill in for tours during any downtime Rings Of Saturn has.
"I feel that it is a good thing for musicians to stay as active as possible and I have often helped promote any project that they are a part of.
"I wish the best of luck to Joel Omans in all of his musical endeavors and personal life. The clarifications I needed to make in this post have zero intention of being negative toward him or anyone else in any way whatsoever. I respect him as a person, but also as a friend in his decision to leave the band."
