Charlie Bellmore is speaking out following his ousting from Many Eyes, the metalcore group he formed with brother Nick Bellmore and former Every Time I Die vocalist Keith Buckley. After the group announced last week that Tzarina’s Craig Vittorio would join Many Eyes on guitar following Bellmore’s departure, Bellmore expressed his heartbreak at the move.
“Some time ago Keith called me and informed me I was no longer involved with Many Eyes,” Bellmore wrote in an Aug. 2 Instagram post. “Does it suck? Yes, it absolutely does….. in reality what can ya do? Keep moving forward.”
While Bellmore admitted that he is “completely heartbroken” by his departure, he expressed that there are no hard feelings over th decision, writing, “With all bands you’re supposed to be a team, and if you have a person that’s for some reason effecting the team that person has to go unfortunately. Nobody else understood it, but that’s what needed to happen in order for Many Eyes to continue so that’s that.”
Bellmore concluded the post by wishing Many Eyes well in their future endeavors, saying. “I hope everyone loves the album when it comes out. I truly adored writing it the entire album with my brother Nick and with Kieth, and I’m completely heartbroken I’ll never play the songs live again. A lot more songs coming from me soon.”
At this time, an exact reason for Bellmore’s exit from Many Eyes is unclear. Buckley and Nick announced in an Aug. 2 social media post that Tzarina’s Craig Vittorio would be joining the band as their “new touring guitarist. Craig is stepping in following the departure of Charlie Bellmore.”
“We have parted ways with Charlie Bellmore, but we just want to thank him again for everything. We could not have gotten this project off the ground without him,” they said. “We wish him nothing but the best with all of his current and future projects and look forward to the possibility of writing with him again when the time comes.”
Buckley formed Many eyes in 2022 after his former group Every Time I Die split in February of that same year, per Kerrang, dubbing the group “the beginning of a new chapter in my story. One that promises to be significantly different from the ones that preceded it.” He was joined by the Bellmore brothers, who he met via Hatebreed’s Jamey Jasta, on guitar and drums, respectively. Bellmore and Nick also wrote, produced, and recorded all of the group’s songs.
With Bellmore’s departure from Many Eyes, the group’s current lineup consists of Buckley and Nick, as well as Vittorio and bassist Sean Vallie, newcomers to the group from Tzarina. Vittorio and Vallie will join Many Eyes on the group’s trio of headlining gigs kicking off in Grand Rapids, Michigan on Aug. 29, as well as their string of Fall 2024 US concert dates supporting Sum 41’s final tour.