FEATURE: A Night in Texas discuss split with Rheese Peters, where 2016 will take them

Brisbane’s A Night In Texas recently parted ways with vocalist Rheese Peters. To help clear the air, guitarist Cory Judd spoke with us this week about the split, and where the Brisbane metal outfit will go from here.

Perhaps unbeknown to most, Peters actually left the band during their recent European run with fellow Aussies Aversions Crown, which was not quite the best moment to have a member leave, but it happened. So what was the reason for the singer leaving? Well, we're told it was due to a mixture of internal and external issues.

“We were on our first international tour through Europe supporting Aversions Crown in January [and] February," Judd states. “From the very beginning of the tour I knew things were a little rough for Rheese but after around five or six shows it all just came to a head really quick. I think touring is mentally and physically straining enough as it is. Add that on top of already having some personal issues and it isn’t going to end well... So there we were, stuck in Europe without a vocalist after six of 27 shows."

Consequently, the band needed a fill-in vocalist and quick or they would've had to drop off the tour and, for the other members, that simply was not an option.

"Dropping out of the tour really wasn’t an option for us. I immediately got in contact with our good friend and media lord, Thomas Savage, who we flew out with two days notice to fill in. We didn’t get to practice at all and I remember reading lyrics with Thomas on the way to the first show, but it didn’t really matter. We were just happy to be continuing on the tour and have some positive vibes for once."

Now, for those who know Rheese personally, the vocalist has since stated that he left the band of his own volition, and Judd says that is more or less true.

"We sat down and spoke about it and came to a reasonable agreement on things, eventually. I think regardless of whether or not it was on his accord after the tour was over he wouldn’t have been continuing in the band."

Of course with the inevitability of their second album currently in creation, the next question suggests, will this recent departure affect the album in its current state? Judd had an answer for us.

"As soon as I got back from Europe I really started to knuckle down with writing. With everything that was going on I knew the band really needed to up their game and focus on things we are capable of being in control of, the music. We’ve got a large portion of the album written but the actual recording is yet to come. For me, the new album is a much more mature, dark and well-written collection of songs when comparing it to The God Delusion."

So to all fans out there, expect new music and some new announcements within the coming weeks.

Now, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that Peters had a truly great voice for the outfit’s brand of extreme metal. Hell, he even filled in for I, Valiance when they played Soundwave last year and if you weren't there - he killed it live, just as he did in A Night In Texas.

"People definitely love to put in their two cents on the topic. He certainly does have a great voice and performs well, so I’d been skeptical on his replacement too, but I couldn’t be happier with his replacement. He kills it and you will find that out soon," Judd says. "It still sounds like the band and that’s what is great about it. But of course, it [also] sounds different. A lot of people on the internet seem to think that there’s no way we could have found someone equally as good as Rheese. I say just wait and see."

We will be waiting in gleeful anticipation, indeed.