Joey Vera had been a bassist of Mercyful Fate for nearly half a decade, but they ultimately decided to part ways with him which came as a shock to their followers as this was all unsudden; what happened to the musician?
In a post shared on social media, the band posted a photo of themselves along with the caption that confirms Vera's departure.
"Mercyful Fate and Joey Vera have mutually decided to split ways," they wrote.
Member King Diamond also shared his own statement about the matter as he wrote: "Our friendship and respect for each other will always remain the same, and we all sincerely wish each other the absolut best for the future." (via Loudwire)
Fans already got a hint about his departure last year as Mercyful Fate went on to perform at their first North American series of shows in 23 years, but he wasn't able to attend because of scheduling confllict.
For last year's show, Vera was replaced by Becky Baldwin, but it's still unclear if he will be the new member now that the bassist already parted ways with the group.
Who is Joey Vera?
Aside from Mercyful Fate, Joey Vera is also a member of several other bands such as Armored Saints, Fates Warning, Tribe After Tribe, Chroma Key, Engine, Seven Witches, and more.
He was initially a guitar player, but he became foudn of the bass after listening to Kiss' song "Alive!"
Some of his influences were John Deacon, Geezer Butler, John Entwistle, Steve Harris, Larry Graham, John Paul Jones, Louis Johnson, Geddy Lee, Verdine White, Jaco Pastorious, and Paul McCartney.
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Vera became a member of Mercyful Fate in 2019 as a replacement for bassist Timi Hansen for their European festival shows in 2020. (via Blabbermouth)
Unfortunately, Hansen died in 2019 and the band's festival appearances were rescheduled to 2021, then because of the pandemic, it was pushed back to 2022.
Mercyful Fate Updates 2024
Fans should expect new songs from Mercyful Fate as they previously confirmed that they're working on a new album.
They gave fans a hint on what their next project would sound like when they performed a new track titled "The Jackal Of Salzburg" in Germany in 2022. They also played it in Las Vegas, Nevada.
After Vera left, the remaining members are Hank Shermann, Bjarne T. Holm, and Mike Wead.
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