Knight says: "The decision to leave was very difficult, yet necessary I feel for me to ultimately be happy and keep moving forward. I feel very lucky to have had the best band-mates and crew - past and present - to traverse the world, guzzle beers, and bring the rock with every night."

He thanks the band's fans, their label Metal Blade Records, and adds: "I'll still be teaching guitar, working on new music, and just getting pretty domestic in general."