Christian rock group RED have officially announced the departure of drummer Dan Johnson in a public statement.

Johnson's tenure with the band dates back to 2014, when he originally joined as a session musician and touring member. He maintained these roles for a number of years before his position as RED's drummer was made permanent at the beginning of 2019.

In the statement, the remaining members of RED — singer Michael Barnes, guitarist Anthony Armstrong and bassist Randy Armstrong — cited undisclosed personal reasons for Johnson's dismissal, which they argued were present many years ago.

It was also revealed that the decision was made "several months ago," but with the pandemic putting most activities on hold for all bands, they held back and waited for an ideal time to let fans know. RED also expressed disappointment that it came to this and noted they elected to dismiss Johnson "despite multiple interventions," though no specifics were given as to what those interventions were in regards to.

The full statement reads as follows:

It is with great disappointment that we inform you that several months ago we decided to part ways with drummer Dan Johnson, This is in response to recent actions in his personal life that also date back several years since joining RED.

Why are we only telling you this now?

With the pandemic we have had plenty of time to decide the next steps and we did not want to make the announcement until the time was right.

Despite many interventions, Dan's actions have finally forced this decision and we could not be more disappointed.

We wish him nothing but the best in his next opportunity and we look forward to the next chapter for RED.

Johnson played on two RED albums — 2015's Of Beauty and Rage and 2020's Declaration. He was also a member of Love & Death, the Christian metal group formed by Korn's Brian 'Head' Welch and played on the Between Here and Lost album in 2013. Johnson ultimately split from the group prior to their reunion, which will culminate in the Feb. 12 release of the long-awaited sophomore record, Perfectly Preserved.

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