Anthony Esposito, an original member of Lynch Mob, has publicly criticized guitarist George Lynch regarding the remastering of the band’s album “Wicked Sensation.” He claims Lynch lied about his involvement in removing band photos from the reissue. The allegations were detailed in an interview with The Hair Metal Guru.
Esposito’s comments came in response to a question about the circumstances that led to his final break with Lynch. The question specifically regarded the discovery that his photos had been removed from the remastered version of “Wicked Sensation.”
“Well, to me, it ended in ’92. I mean a lot of stuff happened from 2001 when he [George] came back from vacation and it was me, him, Robert and Chaz and that was it and he called it a day with that,” Esposito explained. “A lot of stuff happened from that moment to the present. That made it more difficult to reunite. I’ve made attempts to try to, you know, contact him and it hasn’t been reciprocated. So, whatever.”
The bassist described discovering the remaster during a VIP meet and greet in Tokyo. A fan handed him the booklet to sign.
“And it’s like, you know, we wrote all the songs together and Max didn’t even know it got remastered. If anybody’s should be notified that a remastering is going to happen, it should be the producer, you know, and none of us knew about it,” he said. “And I looked at the booklet and I started looking and my picture wasn’t in there. It still had my name that I played bass and my writing credits and stuff, but like the pictures were removed.”
Esposito admitted to calling Lynch immediately upon the discovery. He acknowledged he said things he later regretted.
“And I kind of picked up my cell phone from Tokyo and called George in that moment of shock, disbelief, and I said some stuff that I regret. I shouldn’t have put I shouldn’t have worded it the way I worded it,” he continued. “But George was on Eddie Trunk and they made it all sound like I was b*tching about publishing or advanced money, which it wasn’t.”
The former Lynch Mob member directly challenged Lynch’s claim that he had no control over the artwork decisions.
“George said he had no control over the artwork and which is BS because George sticks his nose on everything,” Esposito stated. “Like he’s always involved in the artwork, so I know he approved the artwork for the remaster.”
This controversy comes amid significant changes for the Lynch Mob brand. George Lynch has made the decision to retire the band name entirely due to its problematic connotations.
iHeartRadio reported that Lynch announced his decision to retire the band name in large part because of its reference to the mobs that historically targeted African Americans. The guitarist explained his reasoning during interviews promoting what would become the band’s final release under the Lynch Mob moniker.
“The name itself, of course, has always been problematic… And now it’s inexcusable to keep the name,” Lynch stated in his announcement. Q104.3 noted that Lynch admitted he had given himself “a pass” on the band’s name for 30 years but no longer wanted to rationalize it.
The remaster in question, titled “Wicked Sensation Reimagined,” was positioned as the band’s swan song under the Lynch Mob name. The Rock Pit revealed that the project re-recorded roughly half the songs with new arrangements and tempos. Lynch described it as creative and fun rather than a mere re-recording.
Despite Lynch’s artistic intentions, the project drew fan backlash for altering the 1990 classic. Esposito’s revelations about being excluded from the artwork add another layer of controversy to what was meant to be a celebratory 30th anniversary release. The dispute highlights ongoing tensions between original band members and Lynch’s control over the band’s legacy and creative decisions.
