MICHAEL POULSEN Says VOLBEAT's Split With ROB CAGGIANO Was Sudden

Volbeat split with longtime guitarist Rob Caggiano back in June. At the time, Caggiano said in a statement that "sometimes relationships simply run their course. Sometimes certain obstacles, people or circumstances get in the way of the greater good."

Now Volbeat frontman Michael Poulsen explained in an interview with Sonic Perspectives that Caggiano's departure was pretty sudden, and that Volbeat thought about touring as a three-piece. The band ultimately recruited The Arcane Order guitarist Flemming C. Lund, who Poulsen jokes never really listened to Volbeat prior to joining as their live guitarist.

"There's a statement on the net, and I can't go into too much details," said Poulsen. "But the thing was, three weeks before a tour, we suddenly became a three-piece. And, of course, for us, [we said], 'Let's just go out as a three-piece. This is the situation we are in now.' But at the end of the day, when we were sitting down and I was about to do the setlist, of course we became a little bit handicapped.

"So, there was different options to who we were going to give a call to help us out, but since I already worked with Flemming and I knew Flemming, I gave him a call, even though he said, 'I have no idea how Volbeat sounds like.' He's only into death metal. So he said, 'I just have to listen to a lot of Volbeat records, I guess.' Of course he knew Volbeat — everybody knows Volbeat in Denmark — but he was not listening to Volbeat. So he said, 'Give me a few days just to actually figure out what you guys are playing,' beside the stuff that you hear on the radio. And he took up the challenge, and we made an agreement and he's helping out Volbeat for this year."

So far, Volbeat has not officially replaced Caggiano.