CANNIBAL CORPSE guitarist Erik Rutan has left the band’s European headlining tour after his home in St. Petersburg, Florida sustained “catastrophic damage from Hurricane Helene“.
Hurricane Helene barreled through the Southeast on Friday, September 27, causing flooding in Florida, Tennessee and Georgia. The Tampa Bay area of Florida, particularly St. Petersburg, was hit hard.
According to the Tampa Bay Times, St. Petersburg experienced more than six feet of storm surge, and more than 100 miles of flooded roads.
Earlier today, CANNIBAL CORPSE released the following statement via social media: “Due to catastrophic damage to his home from Hurricane Helene, Erik Rutan has left the tour to be present with his family at this time. Our hearts go out to Erik and his wife as they deal with this situation.”
CANNIBAL CORPSE‘s European tour with MUNICIPAL WASTE, IMMOLATION and SCHIZOPHRENIA kicked off on September 20 in Oberhausen, Germany and is scheduled to end on October 20 in Frankfurt, Germany.
Rutan was named a permanent member of CANNIBAL CORPSE in 2021. He joined the band as the replacement for CANNIBAL‘s longtime guitarist Pat O’Brien.
Rutan, one of the death metal’s most acclaimed guitarists, is known for his time as part of MORBID ANGEL throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, as well as handling vocals/guitars for HATE ETERNAL. He is also an acclaimed producer, working mostly out of his Mana Recording facility in St. Petersburg.
Hurricane Helene is one of the most powerful storms ever to hit the United States, with wind gust speeds of 140 mph and heavy rain.
Posted by Cannibal Corpse on Saturday, September 28, 2024
