The Amity Affliction drummer Ryan Burt leaves band to work on mental health

The Amity Affliction’s drummer Ryan Burt has stepped away from the chart-topping metalcore band to deal with ongoing mental health issues.

Burt, who joined the outfit in 2008 at the age of just 17, has been battling “mental demons” and will no longer perform or record with the ARIA-nominated act, according to a statement posted on their social accounts.

“Many of you are aware Ryan has been fighting some mental demons of late and took time off in late 2016 to seek help in overcoming these struggles,” the message reads. “Unfortunately, it has been a major struggle for him on the road. It has been very hard for us to watch him go through this, but it has been even harder for him to get on stage and give his all for the fans and band each night. He has done this through adversity on the last few tours, which we have been very grateful for.”

The band’s live bookings will go ahead as planned, though a replacement drummer hasn’t been announced.

“This has been a very hard thing for us all to accept, but ultimately the touring environment and spending long periods away from home and his support network is not the best place for him to be,” the band members wrote. “We want to thank Ryan for everything he has contributed to the band over the last nine years and we will make sure he is looked after going forward.”

The heavy-edged act from Gympie is one of the most popular acts of its kind.

TAA collected their third successive No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart with 2016’s This Could Be Heartbreak (Roadrunner Records Inc), following Chasing Ghosts (No. 1 in September 2012) and Let The Ocean Take Me (June 2014). Heartbreak, their fifth album, eventually lost out to King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard’s Nonagon Infinity (Flightless Records/Remote Control Records) for the Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Album at the ARIA Awards.

This Could Be Heartbreak broke through in the United States, hitting No. 1 on Billboard’s Hard Rock Albums and No. 4 on Top Rock Albums and started at No. 26 on the Billboard 200. The album also reached No. 51 in the U.K.

The remaining members of TAA encourage others experiencing mental health problems to engage with professionals such as Headspace, Hope For The Day and Beyond Blue.

This article originally appeared on The Industry Observer, which is now part of The Music Network.