Anthrax is no longer sharing the bill with Mötley Crüe and Megadeth on the Maximum Rock tour, and the parting doesn't appear to be an amicable one.

Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx posted to the message board on his band's official Web site that the split took place because the Crüe felt it needed more set time.

It saddens us," Sixx wrote with regard to Anthrax's departure, "because they were the band that really lit a spark in our ass every night. The biggest complaint is that we haven't been playing long enuff for our fans (and it's our tour), so we want to add five or six more tunes... plus give Megadeth some more time too.

I'll miss [Anthrax]," Sixx added. "They are amazing.

Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante declined to discuss the specifics of his band's split from the Maximum Rock tour, but he expressed his general discontent in an e-mail to MTV News. "We're pissed off, depressed, disappointed, did I mention pissed off, and real sorry for

our fans who wanted to see us," Benante wrote.

Management for Anthrax was not available for comment as of press time.

According to Sixx, Mötley Crüe and Megadeth will continue the tour on their own, and Anthrax, which played its last show on the outing in Houston on Tuesday, July 18, will not be replaced.

Meanwhile, Hole drummer Samantha Maloney will be performing with Mötley Crüe until September 3, the duration of the current leg of the tour. Crüe drummer Randy Castillo, who is recovering from surgery (see [article id="1430028"]"Mötley Crüe Taps Hole's Maloney For Temp Drum Slot"[/article]), had been due to return to the stage a week or two into the road trip, but that idea was nixed by his doctor.

The pared-down Maximum Rock tour will next hit the Blockbuster Amphitheatre in Charlotte, North Carolina on July 25.