Erik Rutan, who has toured with Cannibal Corpse in the past, has officially joined the death-metal band as a permanent member. With the announcement, he made it clear that his band Hate Eternal will still continue to make music despite his new endeavor.

“I felt it very important to personally share some big news with all of you today…I am officially joining Cannibal Corpse! I am super excited and honored and honestly it still seems a bit surreal,” stated Rutan. “Cannibal Corpse has been a big part of my life and career having listened to them for over 30 years, produced 5 albums with them, done many many tours together and having decades of friendships with everyone involved.”

While Rutan playing with Cannibal Corpse isn’t entirely new, it was stated that he officially has replaced Pat O’Brien’s place in the band. O’Brien was forced to step away from Cannibal Corpse in 2019 when it became public that he was involved in an odd incident that eventually led to him spending time in jail. In 2018, O’Brien’s home was raided after allegedly breaking into a stranger’s home, which then resulted in him being detained by police. The authorities found a large quantity of firearms in his home which is what contributed to his time in jail.

When Rutan shared the news of his permanent spot in Cannibal Corpse, he made sure to include that he will still be contributing to any future albums made by Hate Eternal.

“Hate Eternal will absolutely continue on.. JJ, Johnny and I look forward to recording another unrelenting Hate Eternal album in the future when the time is right. As many people know I have always done multiple things in my career and I plan on continuing that starting with Cannibal Corpse as well as Hate Eternal, Mana Recording, producing and other musical endeavors when time allows,” said Rutan.

Cannibal Corpse recently announced that they would be releasing their forthcoming album, Violence Unimagined, in April 16 under Metal Blade Records. The death-metal band began teasing the album back in early June of last year after George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher posted a photo of himself in a recording studio on Instagram. Rutan stated that his contributions will be featured on the upcoming album.