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Nine Inch Nails Guitarst Adrian Belew Reportedly Quits

adrian belew, nine inch nails

Adrian Belew has reportedly quit Nine Inch Nails. According to Consequence of Sound, Belew posted a message on Facebook on Thursday announcing his departure. The note allegedly read: “hey folks, before this goes too far let me say this: I greatly respect trent and the music he makes. no one is at fault. we both agreed it just was not working. I’m sorry to disappoint anyone. that really hurts. but NIN will do an amazing show and I am back where I belong: creating FLUX.” (FLUX is an interactive listening program that Belew is developing.)

The post has since been deleted, but the King Crimson guitarist has shared another update on Facebook: “concerning me being part of the 2013 Nine Inch Nails band: it didn’t work.” A spokesperson for the band didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Belew would be the second member of NIN to leave the band in the last month. In May, bassist Eric Avery parted ways with the project, claiming he “got overwhelmed.” Avery has since been replaced by longtime NIN affiliate Robin Finck

When Trent Reznor first announced earlier this year that he was reviving NIN, the frontman credited Belew with inspiring the decision. “I was working with Adrian Belew on some musical ideas,” Reznor said in a statement, “which led to some discussion on performing, which led to some beard-scratching, which (many steps later) led to the decision to re-think the idea of what Nine Inch Nails could be, and the idea of playing a show.” He continued, “The band is reinventing itself from scratch and will be comprised of Eric Avery, Adrian Belew, Alessandro Cortini, Josh Eustis, Ilan Rubin, and me.” 

Reports of Belew’s exit come soon after a deluge of NIN news: The group just shared a brand new single, “Came Back Haunted,” and announced the September 3 release of Hesitation Marks, its first album since 2008. The next incarnation of the reincarnated band will also tour extensively this year in the U.S. and abroad.