Georgia-based prog power metal band Theocracy regrets to announce the departure of longtime drummer Shawn Benson, who will pursue other interests. Continued work conflicts and scheduling issues simply made it impossible to move forward, so both parties amicably agreed that it was time for a change to be made. There are no hard feelings on either side, and the band wishes Shawn nothing but the best in the future.

"To be honest, I'm pretty devastated about this, as I expected to be playing with Shawn for as long as we kept going," says vocalist Matt Smith. "But he is moving into a different phase of his life and could no longer give the commitment it takes to be in a band, so ultimately this is the only solution for all parties involved. I'd like to personally thank Shawn for helping to bring three albums from my imagination to reality, and his contributions can never be overstated. He will always be a part of the Theocracy family."

Theocracy recently returned from their third full tour of Europe and are currently working on new material. Their most recent album, As The World Bleeds, is the third studio album, and second one for Ulterium Records.

Source:	facebook.com
Band profile:	Theocracy