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Drummer CHRIS KONTOS Exits FORBIDDEN: ‘I Have Decided That I Can No Longer Continue As A Part Of The Band’
Chris Kontos has left San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal band Forbidden with immediate effect, ending a three-year run. He said unresolved concerns about financial integrity, accounting transparency and business decisions had made continuing impossible; the departure comes shortly after the band released its first album in 16 years.
Kontos said he was proud of the music and videos made with the group and thanked fans and collaborators. Forbidden said his exit came as a surprise, adding that he was integral to the new album. He and bassist Matt Camacho had already been set to miss the band’s autumn US tour for personal reasons, with temporary replacements announced; the tour runs from 23 October to 22 November.
In short
- Chris Kontos has left Forbidden immediately.
- He cited financial and business disagreements.
- The band said it learnt of his exit through social media.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Kontos’s account raises a reasonable case that leaving was necessary if he had serious, unresolved concerns about financial integrity, accounting transparency and business decisions. A musician may reasonably expect clear and trustworthy handling of a band’s affairs, and his pride in the work and thanks to fans do not lessen the importance of those concerns.
The case against
Forbidden’s surprise at the departure, and its description of Kontos as integral to the new album, support a reasonable view that his immediate exit may disrupt the band and disappoint colleagues and fans. Since the report gives no details substantiating the concerns or the band’s response to them, it is also fair to reserve judgement about the dispute while recognising that the band may see its business decisions differently.