British thrash metallers Evile recently announced that they have parted ways with their lead vocalist and guitarist Matt Drake, who had been a member of the band since the formation back in 2004. His brother Ol will take over on vocal and guitar duties, while Adam Smith of RipTide has been added to the band as their new rhythm guitarist. This new lineup, also featuring Joel Graham on bass and founding member Ben Carter on drums, plans to record the band's long-awaited follow-up to 2013's Skull, which is expected to be released later this year or early next year.

Ol Drake issued the following statement via Facebook: "You may notice one large difference in the new Evile lineup, and that is that my brother, Matt, unfortunately left the band a while ago. He will release a statement shortly. We're sad to see him go, but we're excited about the new road ahead of us. As you can probably guess, this is why there hasn't been a 5th Evile album yet, and for that we apologise. The new album is fully written, we're ready to hit the studio, and we are currently working on a record deal. I will be taking over as the band's frontman/vocalist while also staying on lead guitar. We're also happy to announce our new member and rhythm guitarist is Adam Smith from RipTide; a band and friends local to us. Please give him a warm welcome!"

As for the new Evile album, he said: "The new material is in a much more aggressive vein as it feels like the natural progression for Evile; my vocal style is a much less melodic approach. We have the song titles, album title, and art confirmed and there will be an announcement soon!"

Source:	facebook.com
Band profile:	Evile