Chris Pennie has left Coheed and Cambria, citing the classic musical differences as the reason behind the split.
In a statement Pennie said that he plans to work on his Return To Earth and Fight Mannequins projects.
He said: "I am very thankful for the years that I shared the stage with the guys and want to thank the amazing, supportive fans that I've met while on tour, but there are a lot of exciting projects on the horizon, in addition to Return To Earth and Fight Mannequins, that I feel require my absolute 100 percent commitment and attention. I feel that this is the right time to make that happen."
Pennie joined Coheed in 2007 after leaving Dillinger Escape Plan.
"Anybody who thinks they can do exactly the same thing they did 50 years ago is mad": Deep Purple's Ian Paice and others on the demands of playing drums in your 60s and 70s
"It was a fair fight that I got thrown out of the band for, because Moon came for me with a tambourine": When Roger Daltrey was fired from The Who at the worst possible time in 1965
