Crown The Empire confirm split with Vogelman

Crown The Empire have confirmed they’ve split with guitarist Bennett Vogelman and say they will continue as a five-piece.

The Texas metalcore outfit confirmed Vogelman’s departure in a Facebook post, which reads: “Crown will remain a five-piece. Don’t worry, we aren’t going anywhere. We’re just getting started.”

In a statement on his blog, Vogelman insists there is no bad blood and that “personal growth” meant he was heading down “a different path.”

He adds: “Coming of age as a part of CTE provided an education I could never have imagine in school – living the dream playing music with my best friends. The guys in CTE are family. We spent four years fighting to make our dreams come true.

“Those guys played a big part in shaping who I am today. I’m extremely grateful for all I learned from them, and all we went through together.

“I’m sure you’ll continue to show the band that love. The energy you all give back is incredibly powerful. I wish the band all the best.”

CTE last month released a re-issue of their second album The Resistance. A video for Cross Our Bones was also unveiled.

Stef wrote close to 5,000 stories during his time as assistant online news editor and later as online news editor between 2014-2016. An accomplished reporter and journalist, Stef has written extensively for a number of UK newspapers and also played bass with UK rock favourites Logan. His favourite bands are Pixies and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Stef left the world of rock'n'roll news behind when he moved to his beloved Canada in 2016, but he started on his next 5000 stories in 2022.