MICHAEL ROMEO – I knew Tom for many years, and still I am not sure of the exact reasons. I can only guess from what we (the band) saw. On the first tour in Japan, Tom was very stressed about the situation of touring. There were several episodes where he became sick, had anxiety attacks, etc. Then there was the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, which he claims he had…and was also getting into this religion thing. So all these added up and he eventually said ” I can’t do this anymore.”. We have no bad feelings toward Tom, and I still find it hard to believe – that someone who I grew up with, played in numerous bands with, and was totally dedicated to music, somehow lost interest. Was it the fear of touring, sickness, or religion? I can not answer that question, only Tom knows why. But whatever it is that he is doing now, we wish him the best.
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Why did Rod and Jason, and Tom Walling leave the band? How did you find Russell?
The member changes over the years were mostly a result of personal problems and things of that nature. After the first CD, Rod just wasn't working out and left. By a strange coincidence, Rod had actually introduced Thomas Miller to Russell in a clothes store in NY. So, a few months later, when Rod was gone, Thomas Miller remembered Russell and the band contacted him.
MICHAEL ROMEO - Yes, it was when we were recording Damnation Game, in the studio, it just wasn't happening. Rod left and we called Russell to check him out and see if he was interested. He came down, we jammed, and he recorded all the vocals tracks in a few days. About Jason, he left after Divine Wings, there was some tension in the band, everyone was a bit stressed out from all the recording, and Jason was having some other personal problems that seemed to add to things. We weren't happy with him and he wasn't happy either, so it was a mutual thing that he left. We started working with Tom Walling for Twilight in Olympus, and new problems arose with him. He couldn't make any commitments to the band, and was growing disinterested. We were still friends with Jason, and one day he came down to jam and things felt much better and he sounded great.
