Eric Rutan has left Morbid Angel to focus on Hate Eternal

Legendary death metallers Morbid Angel have officially announced the permanent departure of guitarist Erik Rutan.
"Being in Morbid Angel for the past nine years has been the greatest time of my life," said Rutan on the official Morbid Angel website. "To play in my favorite death metal band of all time has been a tremendous honor. I want to thank Trey and Pete for all the great years and all they have done for me, and all the fans who have supported me and will hopefully continue to support me in the future. It is now time for me to stand on my own two feet with Hate Eternal."

The guitarist joined Morbid Angel in 1993 and has performed on three of the group's most successful efforts. He formed Hate Eternal in 1996 to express his own interpretation of death metal. Hate Eternal will release their second album, King Of All Kings, on September 17th in North America on Earache.

Source: Digitalmetal