Wie auf der offiziellen bandpage zu lesen ist, hat Henrik "Kral" Andersen, seines Zeichens Shouter und Basser der dänischen Überflieger MERCENARY die Band verlassen. Der Rest der Truppe beteuert jedoch, dass diese schlagfeste Veränderung keinerlei Einfluß auf folgende Alben oder Konzerte haben wird und man bereit sauf der Suche nach geeignetem Ersatz ist.
Na hoffen wir mal das beste...anbei der offizielle Wortlaut:

"We are sad to announce that founding member Henrik "Kral" Andersen has informed us that he no longer wants to be a part of Mercenary. What might come as a big shock to everyone outside the band has however been apparent to the band for some time. That said we feel it’s important to state very clearly that we part ways as the best of friends and we all wish Kral the very best in his future life and pursuits.

Kral will always be a part of the Mercenary family and we thank him first of all for joining us all up in the band through the years, as well as for the lots and lots of cool, fun and unforgettable times. Kral is expected to give a statement shortly.

The split has in no way affected the recording of the new album since the rest of the band have been working on the new material during the last couple of months in Kral’s absence. All vocals (including shouts and screams) on the upcoming album will be done by Mikkel who is also responsible for lyrics this time. Furthermore the split will not affect the upcoming touring schedule in any way.

As a consequence of Kral leaving the band we are searching for a new bass player/shouter/screamer.
We have to state that we need a person that is able to do both and are not looking for two new members.

The person we are looking for must fulfill these demands:

- Must have a deeply dedicated and serious mind.
- Must have 100 % devotion to the band
- Must be able to rehearse intensively in certain periods in Mercenary's rehearsals near Aalborg, Denmark.
- Be a male between 20 - 35 years.
- Be able to growl, scream, do ‘melodic shouting’ and play the bass
- Be able to learn the old songs quickly
- Be able to restrict his drinking on tour/shows (No drinking before shows)
- Must have a personal image fitting a serious metal band
- be able and willing to tour extensively in periods.
Live and studio experience is an advantage but not a necessity.
We would like to receive material from interested personas ASAP, please send demos (cds only) along with contact info and preferable also a recent picture to:

Mercenary
C/o Hvorupgårdvej 12
9400 Nørresundby
Denmark
Alternatively, you can send mp3s to :
mercenary.audition@gmail.com
Serious applications only.
The tour schedule so far can be seen in the tour section."

Quelle: Bandpage