On Sunday (July 26th), the Swedish-born guitarist, whose real name is Anders Allhage, took to his social media to write:
“Hi everyone ! Just a short heads up: as many of you have seen I’ve left the King Diamond band.
Leaving a ‘family’ after more than 40 years full of great music, friends and lots of good memories is not an easy decision but we mutually decided to part ways in a respectful and friendly manner wishing each other the absolute best for the future!
Now is the time for me to move on with full focus and write some more music and play live with Lex Legion.
Thanks for your support, See you out there!”
On the same day, guitarist Gus G, who was recently announced as La Rocque‘s replacement in the King Diamond band, released a video message, stating (as transcribed by blabbermouth.net):
“Hey, all. Gus here. I just want to make a quick video to talk about the news the past couple of days. As you might have seen, I’m the new guitar player in King Diamond‘s band. And my phone has been blowing up with messages and calls and texts from friends and fans, and on socials, of course, everywhere. So I just wanna send a shout-out and thank you all for the messages of love, encouragement, support. It means a lot.
I wanna thank the King for inviting me to his band and for choosing me. It’s a big, big honor for me. I’m a fan just like you guys. I understand there might be some concern. It’s a shock. I understand that. Andy La Rocque is a legend. And it’s gonna be an honor stepping into his shoes. He’s a buddy of mine, and he even sent me a message wishing me well. And I’m gonna bring my own vibe into it and, of course, honoring the music, which I’m so excited about playing on stage for you all. And I’m also equally excited, if not more, about creating new music together with the King and the band and finally get this album going. So there’s a lot of cool things down the line. And just stay tuned, man, and exciting times ahead. See you all soon.”