THUNDERSTONE: Lineup Changes Announced

August 30, 2007

Finnish melodic power metallers THUNDERSTONE have issued the following update:

"We are sad to announce that Pasi Rantanen [vocals] and Kari Tornack [keyboards] are no longer part of THUNDERSTONE. Due to personal reasons and a visible lack of motivation on their part we saw it best to part with the guys, although the decision was not easy and the timing perhaps the worst possible. Everything was done in good spirits and we thank the guys for an unbelievably great and fun seven years and wish them all the best in their private endeavors.

"However, the first priority for us was not to let our fans down even in a situation like this. Therefore, we will go on with the upcoming co-headlining tour with NOCTURNAL RITES as planned. And we are most proud to announce two incredible musicians who agreed to fill in for the tour on such a short notice. On keyboards we will have none other than legendary Jens Johansson, the crazy Swede and a long-time friend from STRATOVARIUS. The vocal duties will be handled by the incredible-sounding Tommi 'Tuple' Salmela who in recent years has shared the vocals with Marco Hietala in the classic Finnish metal outfit TAROT.

"As you can probably imagine, we are more than thrilled to have these guys on board. Book your tickets NOW!!!"

THUNDERSTONE's video for the song "Face in the Mirror" can be viewed below. The track comes off the group's fourth studio album, "Evolution 4.0", which was released this past March. According to the band, the CD is "a milestone, bringing in more of the heavier stuff that 'Tools of Destruction' already hinted at, but still retaining the landmark melodies of THUNDERSTONE. That's why we thought the title 'Evolution 4.0' best represents where we now stand."

THUNDERSTONE came in second in the competition to represent the host country, Finland, at the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 in Helsinki. Rantanen, who sang those high notes in LORDI's "Hard Rock Hallelujah" on stage at last year's Eurovision Song Contest in Athens, is a close friend of LORDI leader Mr. Lordi.

Watch THUNDERSTONE's video for the song "Face in the Mirror":

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