Guitarist George Lynch confirmed he’d been asked to join Ratt in place of Warren DeMartini, but that the parties couldn’t reach an agreement, so the idea was abandoned.

It’s the first concrete evidence that Ratt’s Stephen Pearcy and Juan Croucier have parted ways with DeMartini following weeks of speculation.

Earlier this month, the pair released a statement announcing “a new breed” of the band, without explaining DeMartini’s status. “We have not had an all-original-member lineup since 1991, and sadly with the passing of Robbin Crosby, that chapter is over," Croucier said. "However, if you still want to see the original band, there are many videos on YouTube and other places to enjoy. That was a fucking great band, but I guarantee that the new breed of Ratt that we put onstage every night will be in your face, energized and fully engaged. Simply put, the band our fans deserve."

In a recent radio interview with Eddie Trunk, Dokken and Lynch Mob veteran Lynch replied “Mmm-hmm” when asked if he’d been invited to join Ratt. “We just couldn’t come to an agreement on it," he explained. "They haven’t called me back. I’ve been staring at the phone – my wife’s like, ‘Honey, want to go to bed or eat something?’ I’m like, ‘I’m waiting for the Ratt phone to ring.” But, he said, “I’m good with it.”

You can listen to the interview below.

Hints that DeMartini was no longer in Ratt fist circulated in March. The band’s other guitarist, Carlos Cavazo, appeared to confirm that it was true and that he had also left. “As long as Warren is not there, I don’t see myself doing it," he said at the time. "I can’t picture anyone else being there other than Warren.”

Then In April, original drummer Bobby Blotzer said he still hoped for a reunion, despite a legal battle that apparently resulted in him losing the band’s naming rights to Pearcy’s version of Ratt. "Iif we were together and had our shit tight within the band, the sky's the limit, is the way I always saw it," Blotzer said.

Ratt recently announced their first tour dates of 2018, with the opening show set to take place on July 7.

 

 

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