Photo Credit: Marc Duvollet
It was well publicized last year, when Soilwork’s drummer of twelve years – Dirk Verbeuren – departed from the Swedish melodic death metal band to join Megadeth. In response to Dirk’s exit, Soilwork enlisted young gun, Bastian Thusgaard, to fill in as touring drummer for the remainder of the band’s touring commitments during these last ten months. And now, the band has confirmed that Bastian is the permanent drummer for the band! Below is a statement issued by the band via the Soilwork Facebook page today, concerning Bastian Thusgaard’s addition to the lineup.
“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!!!”
Regarding his drumming in Soilwork, Bastian Thusgaard stated the following in the same Facebook post:
“First and foremost I would like to thank Björn, Sven, David, Sylvain, Markus and everyone else involved in Soilwork team for their very warm welcome. I wanna thank Dirk Verbeuren 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 why I’ve had my life’s best musical experiences, during the 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 in my musical education. I feel 100% committed to Soilwork and I’m looking forward to create music with my childhood heroes and to see what the future will bring. See you all on the road.”
Here is a stellar performance of “The Chainheart Machine” by Soilwork, with Bastian on drums!
Make sure and also catch Soilwork out on the road, at one of their confirmed tour dates below!
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
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
