The frontman of Vitriol, Kyle Rasmussen, has spoken out after the other three members of the band announced on social media that they decided to leave him behind at a gas station while returning home mid-tour from their current run.

In a now-expired post from guitarist Keith Merrow‘s Instagram Stories earlier this week, he revealed that he, drummer Andy Vincenzetti, and bassist Brett Leier had abandoned the singer due to dissatisfaction with his behavior. “Myself, Andy, Brett, and Matt will not tolerate Kyle’s cowardly and weak outbursts of misplaced anger,” Merrow stated. “We gave everything we had, and now we have left you with nothing. Mass exodus. This was the darkest day of my music career to date.”

This marks the second time in two years that Vitriol has faced mid-tour defections, as founding bassist and co-vocalist Adam Roethlisberger followed an early year departure of bassist Daniel Martinez in 2024 during a summer tour, leaving the band to finish out dates as a duo.

What Did Kyle Rasmussen Say About Vitriol’s Latest Departures?

In a lengthy video exceeding 40 minutes posted to Vitriol’s social media, Rasmussen disputed the claims made by the departing band members about him and confirmed that the current Vitriol tour will be “discontinuing” as a result of the recent split.

“It was important for me to see how Keith, Brett, and Andy would handle this in the following days. Unfortunately, they chose to double down, sharing information with people I care about that is simply not true. Some of it is an exaggeration; some of it is outright fallacious,” said the singer near the beginning of the video (as transcribed by Lambgoat).

During the discussion, he revealed that the dispute arose after a period of intoxication for each band member as they prepared to reach the Canadian border. Rasmussen stated he was resting in a private bedroom when Merrow approached him with concerns about what might be discovered in their RV at the border. From Rasmussen’s perspective, the conversation escalated until he felt that Merrow was provoking him into a heated response.

“I didn’t threaten him physically. I didn’t touch him. He leaves. I try to go back to sleep,” says Rasmussen. “At this stage, I’m not thinking that the situation is dire.” However, he admits that he “blew a lid” at Merrow but did not realize anything was significantly wrong until he was informed that the other band members were packing their belongings.

Rasmussen recounts being confronted by other band members who said he couldn’t speak to them like that; when he questioned Merrow’s intrusion into his private space and hostility, the dispute “went nuclear.”

Rasmussen claims that Merrow used colorful language, threatened physical violence, and pushed his girlfriend aside while attempting to physically remove Rasmussen from their vehicle. Eventually, police were called, but Rasmussen stated that he and his girlfriend decided not to resist over the vehicle given the circumstances.

“From an outside perspective, if I witnessed this, I would have to assume it was just a pressure cooker of animosity that exploded into this extreme action. It was a drugged-out temper tantrum. That’s the truth,” added Rasmussen. “Was I the catalyst for it? Was my rage? Was my intense rage the match? Of course. And that’s on me. But I’ve been doing this for a long time. I’ve been belittled on tour. I’ve been yelled at. I’ve had things thrown at me. I’ve had people swing at me. I’ve been called names. I don’t even name-call; I just express what I believe is true brutally. It’s not always… It’s rarely the right approach. But the behavior that followed freed me from any sense of loss.”

Rasmussen mentioned receiving great compassion from the police officer who witnessed the band leaving him behind. The officer ensured they could reach a hotel safely. A local ice cream shop owner also allowed them to leave their gear and luggage in his shop. In response to his situation, he’s launched a GoFundMe campaign to help him, his girlfriend, and their dog return home to Portland, Oregon, from New York.

Regarding the future of Vitriol, he shared, “The most important thing in my life is this message I’m communicating through Vitriol, and I’m always going to find a way to do that. I’ve always been a fighter. I’ve always said I’ll keep going until I find the right people. At this point, I never anticipated something so disastrous; losing all three members simultaneously is incredibly challenging to recover from. I don’t know for sure what’s next, but I have to assume Vitriol will take a significant break for the foreseeable future until I determine our next steps.”

What Have Other Vitriol Members Shared?

After news of the split broke, Keith Merrow posted on his Instagram stories stating, “Me, Brett and Andy left Vitriol because Kyle sucks. That’s it. It doesn’t require an absolutely psychotic two-part video series to explain. He irrationally screamed at the whole crew at the top of his lungs on multiple occasions. We simply won’t tolerate it, just like all 19 other people who left this failed band.”

“What more needs to be said?” Merrow concluded. “It’s the same story as every other victim of his abuse.”

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In another post, he added, “The silver lining in this situation is that I met Brett and Andy. We’re continuing together as a band under a different name because we love each other. The Amazing Bambino Crew will be joining us as sound engineers.”