Background: Manowar is an American heavy metal band from Auburn, New York. Formed in 1980, the group is known for lyrics based on fantasy (particularly sword and sorcery) and mythology (particularly Norse mythology and Greco-Roman mythology). The band is also known for a loud and bombastic sound. In an interview for MTV in February 2007, bassist Joey DeMaio lamented that "these days, there's a real lack of big, epic metal that is drenched with crushing guitars and choirs and orchestras...
Context: On June 1, 2010, Classic Rock magazine published an interview with drummer Scott Columbus who said he had not worked with the band since April 2008 and had left the band. No official statement from Manowar has been made as yet and their website still includes Columbus on the promotional pictures and current lineup. He also said that statements made in the past, regarding his break in 1990 and 2008 because of an illness and a personal tragedy, were largely untrue and were made without his agreement. Later that year, on October 15, 2010, Joey DeMaio announced on Facebook that Hamzik was officially a member of Manowar again after a 26-year absence. Scott Columbus died less than a year later on April 4, 2011, aged 54. His cause of death is still uncertain.  Manowar's subsequent release was a re-recording of their 1982 debut album, Battle Hymns. This album was released on November 26, 2010, with the narration of Sir Christopher Lee and formally entitled Battle Hymns MMXI. A special edition of the album featuring 4 live tracks from the first leg of the Battle Hymns Tour was released on July 26, 2011.  On July 21, 2011 the band played a UK tour for the first time in 16 years in November and played Battle Hymns in its entirety.  Manowar's new studio album, The Lord of Steel, was released worldwide on June 16, 2012 exclusively on iTunes and on the band's own online store. The album sees a reversion from the symphonic elements present on the Gods of War album back to a more straightforward, heavy metal sound. The song 'El Gringo' from the album has also been featured as a part of the soundtrack to the film El Gringo.  After the Lord of Steel tour was over in 2013, Manowar released a live EP, titled The Lord of Steel Live, which included six live tracks recorded during the tour.
Question: What had caused him to leave the band in the first place?

Answer:
No official statement from Manowar has been made as yet