Malevolent Creation guitarist Phil Fasciana has offered additional details about the departures of guitarist Chris Cannella and bassist Jesse Jolly, doubling down on his claim that Cannella was dismissed because he could not consistently perform the band’s material live.
The lineup changes were revealed earlier this week, prompting conflicting accounts from the musicians involved. Fasciana previously said Cannella had been fired over his live performances, while Jolly disputed being dismissed, claiming he chose to leave because of what he described as a “toxic” environment within the band.
The situation subsequently escalated online, with Fasciana challenging Cannella to post a video of himself performing a Malevolent Creation song without mistakes. The guitarist even offered to pay him $1,000 if he could deliver the requested playthrough.
In a new statement shared on October 29, Fasciana revisited that challenge and explained why he believes both musicians needed to leave. According to his account, Cannella struggled with the band’s setlist during rehearsals ahead of a European tour, and those problems allegedly continued across multiple tours over the following two years.
Fasciana also recounted his hospitalization during that European run, when he collapsed following a festival performance and spent eight days in a coma before remaining in a French intensive care unit for another five weeks. He said that, while he was recovering, bandmates Jolly and Ronnie informed him that completing the tour without him had become difficult because Cannella was the only guitarist onstage.
Fasciana claimed that subsequent footage of the band’s performances reinforced his concerns, but said Cannella was nevertheless given additional time to improve.
He wrote:
“He did 4 tours hacking his way through our setlist and it had to come to an end. Just because you are all friends outside of the band doesn’t mean playing together in a band is going to work.”
The guitarist said he ultimately decided to remove Cannella ahead of the band’s Latin American tour in October 2026. He also explained that Jolly’s departure was connected to his handling of the situation, alleging that the bassist had repeatedly assured him he would help Cannella learn the material.
Fasciana said he directly asked Jolly whether Cannella had finally learned the songs before rehearsals began. According to Fasciana, Jolly acknowledged that he had not, but said he could live with the situation.
That response, Fasciana claimed, sealed Jolly’s fate with the band.
“I admire his loyalty to a friend but having no loyalty to the band made me furious. Now Chris is an ok lead guitarist, but he cannot play rhythm guitar in a Death Metal band like Malevolent Creation.”
Fasciana was careful to distinguish his criticism of Jolly’s decisions from his opinion of the bassist’s musical abilities, describing Jolly as an excellent player and a nice person. However, he maintained that the band’s live performances could not continue at the level he believed they had reached.
He also emphasized his longstanding commitment to maintaining the standards of the group he founded approximately 40 years ago.
“I want MC to be it’s best at all times. During bad times and good (and God knows i have seen it all!)”
The latest comments add another chapter to an increasingly public dispute between the former bandmates. Jolly and Cannella have reportedly expressed satisfaction with their exits, while Fasciana says he remains comfortable with their criticism of him and the band.
There is also some additional context surrounding the European tour incident mentioned in Fasciana’s statement. His hospitalization followed an incident in which he mixed alcohol with prescription medication he was taking while ill. Fasciana later publicly apologized to his bandmates at the time, including Cannella and Jolly, for his behavior.
For now, the future lineup of Malevolent Creation remains the next question following the departures, with Fasciana making clear that he intends to maintain his expectations for the band’s live performances.
If you’re rocking with The Mosh Network, hit the link and add us as a Preferred Source on Google. That’s the easiest way to keep our latest metal, hardcore, and alternative news, tours, and releases showing up directly in your feed.
