Deen Castronovo is preparing to get an epidural in his spine prior to undergoing back surgery. The drummer, who recently announced his exit from THE DEAD DAISIES, took to his social media earlier today (Tuesday, February 23) to write: “Well my brothers and sisters… Tomorrow morning I go in to get an epidural in my spine to alleviate the pain I’m in until I get the all clear for surgery. Say some prayers my friends. If this doesn’t work it’s under the knife ASAP!”
Castronovo‘s departure from THE DEAD DAISIES was announced two days after THE DEAD DAISIES‘ publicist revealed that Tommy Clufetos (BLACK SABBATH, OZZY OSBOURNE, ROB ZOMBIE, TED NUGENT, ALICE COOPER) will rejoin the band when they hit the road in support of their new album, “Holy Ground”. Clufetos previously toured with THE DEAD DAISIES in 2015.
During an appearance on SiriusXM‘s “Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk”, guitarist Doug Aldrich stated about Castronovo‘s decision to leave THE DEAD DAISIES: “Deen was having a hard time with some back problems. We got together and played in October of last year, and he was struggling — he was having a hard time. And he just said, ‘Look, guys, I need to get some work done, and it’s gonna put me out of business for a little bit. I know you guys wanna move fast and you’ve got plans to do things.’ So he decided to do that.”
Bassist/vocalist Glenn praised Deen, who laid down the drums on “Holy Ground” as well as on 2018’s “Burn It Down” LP.
“[Deen] sang on a couple of [‘Holy Ground’ songs] with me,” he said. “I would have liked to have had Deen sing more. We have a great blend together, and you can hear it.
“It’s such a shame that he’s not with us. But we have to continue. And Tommy was the guy.”
“Holy Ground” was released on January 22. Recorded at La Fabrique Studios in the south of France with producer Ben Grosse, the LP is THE DEAD DAISIES‘ first to feature Hughes, who joined the group in 2019 as its new bassist and vocalist, replacing John Corabi (MÖTLEY CRÜE) and Marco Mendoza (THIN LIZZY).
Castronovo‘s 17-year tenure with JOURNEY ended in 2015 when the group fired him after his arrest for a variety of charges involving his now-wife (including physical abuse, coercion, and unlawful use of a weapon).
