En av grundbultarna har lämnat Uriah Heep

Kerslake spelade i slutet av 1960-talet tillsammans med Ken Hensley i The Gods och Toe Fat, innan han gick med i National Head Band och slutligen Uriah Heep 1971. Han spelade många år i Uriah Heep innan han lämnade gruppen 1979 och medverkade på Ozzy Osbournes debutalbum Blizzard of Ozz. 1981 återvände han till Uriah Heep och har spelat där sedan dess.

Lite sorligt att läsa att Lee Kerslake nu har lämnat bandet för alltid(?), men bättre att han ser till sin hälsa först.

"Uriah Heep regret to announce that, due toongoing health problems, longstanding drummer Lee Kerslake is to leave the band with immediate effect.During 2006, when Uriah Heep toured in sometwenty territories ranging from Indonesia, India and Thailand through to Brazil, Peru, Russia andBulgaria, concluding with a six week AcousticTour through Europe, Lee found the rigors ofconstant touring increasingly stressful and willnow take the opportunity over the next few monthsto embark on a stringent campaign in order to resolvehis health issues.Comments Heep lead guitarist and founder member

Mick Box: "All the band are fully behind Lee inhis efforts to become fully match fit again. Forme, it is particularly devastating to lose notonly someone who I have worked with for somethirty five years, but also one of my closest andoldest friends who I love like a brother. It is,however, in the best interests of both Lee andthe band that a change is made now. This is animportant time in the history of the band - Wehave just signed a new worldwide recordingcontract with Sanctuary Records and are about tocommence recording our first new studio album inalmost a decade and it is vital that there isconsistency between both the recording and theforthcoming eighteen month long world tour tocoincide with the album´s release in September".

The band will now start actively auditioningpotential drummers and we will keep you informedas events unfold."

Det ryktas att Lee och Bernie inte gillade varandra så kanske känner Lee helt enkelt för att sluta?