According to a posting at Audio Aggression, former POWERMAN 5000 guitarist Mike Tempesta (M.33) is rumored to have joined NINE INCH NAILS as the group's touring guitarist.

Tempesta, who is the brother of veteran hard rock/metal drummer John Tempesta (HELMET, ex-ROB ZOMBIE, TESTAMENT, EXODUS), was conspicuously absent from POWERMAN 5000's last two live shows, prompting speculation from the band's fans that he had left the group. This was subsequently confirmed by POWERMAN 5000 frontman Spider One, who stated in an online posting, "Mike has been a HUGE part of the band and contributed to the vibe and songwriting of POWERMAN 5000 for many years, but things are changing once again in the world of PM5K. Mike's off to do other things and most likely will not be a part of future shows or recordings. No big scandal involved, just evolution."

POWERMAN 5000, who currently finishing up the songwriting process for a new studio album, were recently advertised as the support act for SALIVA at five Texas shows. SALIVA eventually played the dates, but without POWERMAN 5000, who, fans had speculated, had cancelled the shows due to continued lineup problems.

Commented Spider One: "We were offered a handful of dates with SALIVA, but because of various band members traveling and visiting family for the holidays, we NEVER agreed to perform. In fact we clearly said NO to all parties involved. Why the venue and promoter continued to use our name in hyping the shows in beyond me. Sorry for anyone who bought tickets expecting to see PM5K, I'm not sure what the deal is with refunds. I want to make it clear that any confusion has nothing to do with POWERMAN, SALIVA or any other band on the bill."