Guitar Amp Manufacturer Explains Split With ARCH ENEMY Guitarist MICHAEL AMOTT

Krank Amplification, the Arizona-based company which designs and manufactures guitar amplifiers, has released the following statement regarding its recent split with former endorsee Michael Amott of ARCH ENEMY:

"We here at Krank just wanted to clear up a few things that we've been hearing about and seeing on other forums. There has been some talk about Michael Amott from ARCH ENEMY leaving Krank for Randall Amps. We wish Mike the best and are sure the new ARCH ENEMY music will kick ass. However what really needs to be addressed is all the talk of why Michael left and the situation surrounding it.

"In December we fired our artist relations person Jody Dankberg, who was then and still is a minority owner in Krank Amplification LLC . . . Jody has apparently since been hired by Randall Amps as a artist relations rep there as he is now listed on their website as such, and judging from postings we've seen on various Internet forums that seem to be from a Randall representative, they are apparently trying to gather as many Krank artists as they can now that Jody is a Randall employee. Michael Amott has a relationship with Jody that started with Krank, and as we can only assume at this point right alongside with the rest of you that his relationship, coupled with the thought of a signature model, as well as financial benefit, came into play. We've never heard his direct reasons other than he 'decided to move on,' but now there's the Michael Amott signature Randall Ninja V2 head and truthfully Michael is a great guy and good for him if that's what he wants now. Whether it will sound as good remains to be seen and is purely a subjective thing. However we're aware of other Krank artists being contacted by Randall as well as nasty rumors being spread to not only artists but dealers as well about Krank apparently being in some sort financial trouble, which a blatant lie. . . All we can say is that things are very well in Krankland as the company is doing great and we have some great new products arriving this year. Normally we wouldn't even address such rubbish but too often in this business vicious rumors left unchecked become problematic and we feel that our name is being drug through the mud a bit here.

"Just to clarify, Krank has never in the existence of the company paid for an artist to play our gear (including Michael Amott),and a very, very small percentage of our artists have ever received free gear from us. Every endorsee we've earned by simply making a cool amp with great tone that they want to play, and obviously we must be doing something right as we have some of the best in the biz playing our amps and playing them based solely on the fact they like the gear. Not to mention we are approached on a daily basis by artists, both big and small, simply because they feel that we make a great product. We've been told by many of the top industry professionals we deal with that they've never seen an amp company become so successful so quickly and we're poised to grow a lot more in the near future. At the end of the day you either have killer tone or you don't and that's all that really matters, and that's where Krank Amplification is happy to let things stand and be decided."