Bad Wolves vocalist Tommy Vext has made an official statement regarding his departure from the band, announced on the 10th on the group's social media , due to accusations of assaulting the musician's ex-girlfriend and an alleged "scheme between band members and the record label Better Noise Music against its conservative policies," in light of the musician's recent support for President Donald Trump .
Now, Tommy is looking to move on, and to that end, he shared a text with his fans giving more details about his departure from the band, his next steps, and how his fans can help him on GoFundMe with donations to help the musician pay for the studio time that would have been covered by the record label Vext is no longer with. For any amount donated, the fan will receive as a reward the album that Tommy was working on in the studio alone, due to the pandemic. With this, the $100,000 goal that the musician had set has already been surpassed since the beginning of the campaign.
Below is the full statement and video where the musician provides more details about the situation:
Dear friends,
Let me begin by expressing an enormous debt of gratitude to all the fans, everyone at the record label, the management, and everyone who helped establish the career of my band, Bad Wolves.
I am incredibly proud and sincere of what we have accomplished together. Bad Wolves became the fastest-rising rock band of the last decade, with 5 consecutive number-one singles. Thanks to the incredible support of our fans, we exploded onto the mainstream rock consciousness and (no small feat for a metal band) reached the number one spot on the entire Apple Music Platform across all continents. We amassed hundreds of millions of streams and, as a result, YOU helped us by donating hundreds of thousands of dollars to various charities.
Our future was bright and our trajectory undeniable, until COVID struck and changed all of our lives. I saw things happening that I didn't understand. During the first lockdown, I publicly expressed my concerns about where we are going as a nation and what is happening to America, the country I love.
I expressed my disappointment with the protests turning into violent riots. Cities, businesses, lives destroyed 'mostly peacefully'. I criticized the idle media and even tolerating this behavior. I pointed out that good causes were infiltrated by bad actors, hijacking and delegitimizing a good movement. I dared to question who financially benefits from this and who was funding these events. I questioned the lockdowns, since small businesses went bankrupt, but large chains were allowed to operate. I questioned the imposed social distancing and why demonstrations and looting are exempt, or why you can't have family gatherings or eat in restaurants unless you're a politician. A repeated hypocrisy that we've seen time and time again.
And that's why they came after me.
I, an African-American artist speaking my mind. I became unacceptable to the gatekeepers because I left the plantation. I had to be silenced. Cancel culture came after my band. I was threatened, ridiculed, blackmailed, and smear campaigns were launched to destroy my career and my livelihood.
These events really opened my eyes, because this was no longer just an urban legend.”
