KYLE THOMAS Opens Up About SASHA HORN Leaving EXHORDER & Recruiting GOD FORBID's COREY PIERCE

Exhorder recently split with drummer Sasha Horn, who originally joined the band in 2017. Frontman Kyle Thomas has now opened up about Horn's recent departure, revealing the decision had been building for quite some time before finally coming to a head.

Speaking with Metal Horror Madman, Thomas explained that Horn just needed a reset in his life. He also had only great things to say about Horn as a drummer, which rocks – it's always nice to see folks getting along.

"It's been coming for some time, but it finally came to a head, I think after this last tour," said Thomas. "I feel like Sasha's kind of just been in a state of flux for maybe even a couple years now, trying to figure out who he is and what he's doing. I don't wanna get too, too into the personal side of it for him, because that's his story to tell, not mine.

"But what an amazing drummer he is. I swear, the only person maybe that I've seen hit [the drums] harder than him was Reed Mullin, and Reed Mullin was a lot bigger than Sasha. So it's amazing, his ability and talent. But I just feel like the guy isn't himself and doesn't… I think he's come to the point where he's ready to find himself and focus on his family. He's got a daughter, he's got parents that are not getting any younger.

"So I think he's just been doing this for so long, I think he just feels like maybe there's something else. I think he wants to maybe even go to school. Here's a guy who's turning 50 this year, and I guess just saying, 'Maybe I just need a relaunch of myself, just a kind of reset.'"

He added: "I'm 100% in support of that aspect of Sasha making his decision."

Despite the change, Thomas stressed there's no bad blood and that it really was just Horn needing a reset. "This wasn't a bad parting," said Thomas. "We've had bad partings in this band, trust me. And this is not one of them."

Stepping in on the road is Corey Pierce of God Forbid, and Thomas made it clear the band were deliberate in choosing Horn's temporary replacement: "We talked with a handful of people and watched videos of them, and everybody that we talked with and evaluated would've done an amazing job, I think.

"But – I don't know – I think the thing that really sealed it for me with Corey, aside from the fact that he's got a pedigree; he's the only drummer that God Forbid ever had. I asked him, I said, 'Are you the only drummer that God Forbid's ever had?' He said, 'Trust me, I've tried to hand that job off, and no one wants it and no one would let me.'

"But he comes from the same background as our original drummer, Chris Nail. They're both marching-band guys, drum corps, accomplished jazz-style players that read sheet music. Corey told me he was teaching drum corps at 14 years old. So, the fact that he is 100% from the same background that our original guy was – 'cause Sasha was not; that was not the type of drummer Sasha was. Sasha was more of a basher, punk-style drummer.

"[He was] very skilled, could do the things that were required in this band, but he did not play in the kind of traditional style that our original drummer played. So, it was an adaptation, but it worked. And it just adds a different flavor, I think. But I feel like with Corey, it's going to be probably a little bit more true to what the original drum parts were, perhaps. I don't know. We have rehearsals starting next week, so we shall see. It's kind of a mystery to everybody right now."

Fans can catch Exhorder live on the eastern leg of The Tour Of Unsound Minds in 2026, now with Corey Pierce filling the drum seat. The tour kicks off on April 2 at 123 Pleasant Street in Morgantown, WV and wraps up on April 19 at The Venue in Cadillac, MI. Get your tickets here.

4/2 Morgantown, WV 123 Pleasant Street
4/3 Rochester, NY Montage Music Hall
4/4 Albany, NY Empire
4/5 Portland, ME Genos Rock Club
4/6 Providence, RI Alchemy
4/7 Manchester, NH Jewell
4/8 Hamden, CT Space Ballroom
4/9 Amityville, NY AMH
4/10 Harrisburg, PA Capital City Music Hall
4/11 Manalapan, NJ Locals
4/12 Chesapeake, VA Riffhouse
4/13 Atlanta, GA 529
4/14 Raleigh, NC Chapel Of Bones
4/15 Piedmont, SC Tribbles
4/16 Chattanooga, TN BoneBar
4/17 Dunbar, WV Live At The Shop
4/18 Chicago, IL Reggie’s
4/19 Cadillac, MI The Venue