Things had been going so well during 2008 that I really hoped the lineup was there to stay. It was around this time that we noticed Tim wasn't making it to rehearsal as often as he usually did. This was by no means an issue as we have always been really flexible with rehearsal. One Saturday afternoon we decided to clear the air and find out if there was a larger issue at play. It turned out there was, Tim had a lot going on in his family life. That afternoon we all made the mutual decision that Tim wouldn't continue in the band. It was really tough because Tim was an original member of the band. I still look back and feel we could have handled that whole situation a lot better. The good thing was we always stayed in touch with Tim and his departure didn't impact our friendship with him. Yes it was tricky, but we all had respect for each other and didn't let it ruin our relationship. Tim leaving the band was the first time anyone had left Grave Forsaken. It was a significant moment because Tim had been hugely influential. He came up with the band name, the first two album titles and he wrote a lot of our lyrics. He really shaped our early sound and image. I want to make it very clear that without Tim there would be no Grave Forsaken. He was that important and it is necessary to acknowledge that. To illustrate that importance, 9 years later Tim came back into the picture and recorded drums for a solo project I've been working on. I very much value his contribution to our band.