Soilwork Announces Bastian Thusgaard As Full-Time Member

Soilwork is pleased to officially announce the inclusion of permanent drummer, 25-year-old Bastian Thusgaard. Thusgaard has been blazing the kit for the band for the past 10 months, but will make his official debut as a permanent member of the band at upcoming summer festival performances. See below for a full listing of dates.

Bastian Thusgaard originally joined the Soilwork machine as touring drummer after former full-time member Dirk Verbeuren's departure. Thusgaard began his journey as Verbeuren's understudy, eventually taking over touring duties for the band in the summer of 2016.

In a band statement, Soilwork says: "We are super stoked to announce Bastian Thusgaard as our permanent drummer. He's been touring with us for quite a while and has been nothing short of amazing to work with, both on a musical level and on a personal level. Taking over after Dirk must have been pretty hard, but he has proven, time and time again, through our tours through North America, South America and Europe, that he is the perfect man for the job.

"Bastian is only 25 years old and already possesses such great groove and fantastic technique. We can't wait to see, how his ability will take us to the next level while we write our next album. It will be a beast, there's no doubt about it. We have so much left to say musically and Bastian will be the perfect drummer, to help the band evolve on our constant musical journey. Give Bastian a warm welcome everyone!"

Bastian Thusgaard adds: "First and foremost, I would like to thank Björn, Sven, David, Sylvain, Markus and everyone else involved in the Soilwork team for their very warm welcome. I want to thank Dirk for his guidance, support and ability to inspire young drummers like myself, to put in the hours needed in order to make it to this level. He is the reason that I've had my life's best musical experiences during these past ten months. To the fans that I've already met around the world and all the wonderful people surrounding me, thank you for your great support and positive feedback. It has truly been overwhelming.

"I am truly honoured to be given the opportunity to continuously work with SOILWORK, a band that I grew up listening to and one of the key elements of my musical education. I am 100% committed to Soilwork and am looking forward to create music with my childhood heroes and to see what the future will bring. See you all on the road."

May 21-22 Radio Rock Risteily Cruise from Helsinki to Tallinn
Jun 10 Brétigny-Sur-Orge, France @ Download FR
Jun 17 Clisson, France @ Hellfest
Jun 23 Gräfenhainichen, Germany @ With Full Force
Jul 01 Helsinki, Finland @ Tuska Open Air Metal Festival
Aug 05 Wacken, Germany @ Wacken Open Air
Aug 11 Catton on Hall, United Kingdom @ Bloodstock Open Air
Aug 25 Woerrstadt, Germany @ Neuborn Open Air Festival

Additional confirmed dates:
Nov 10 Malmö, Sweden @ KB
Nov 11 Gårda, Sweden @ Brewhouse
Nov 12 Oslo, Norway @ John Dee
Nov 13 Linkoping, Sweden @ Pitchers/The Crypt
Nov 14 Uppsala, Sweden @ Katalin