The new vocalist of Thunderstone is Rick Altzi from Sweden. Rick has contributed his wonderful voice to many metal albums, most recently with German band At Vance.

"Everybody knows that filling Pasi's boots would be difficult for anybody, but Mr. Altzi does it!" says guitar player Nino Laurenne. "We were looking around for a potential candidate and were impressed by Rick from the start. After he recorded some vocals for our songs, we were definitely convinced. We flew the guy over to Finland to check his drinking stamina. He came, drank and left as the new singer of Thunderstone! I can't wait to get to ProgPower UK with him and start working on our next album. We are BACK!"

Rick is also very enthusiastic about joining forces with the group: "I feel lucky to have been given the chance to sing with this genuine metal band, Thunderstone!"

Many people thought that Tuple Salmela would be the permanent singer in the band. Titus Hjelm comments: "There was no drama with Tuple. It was clear to everybody from the beginning that the deal was for the tour only and then we would check the situation again. At the end of the day we were just more comfortable with Rick's voice and we didn't want to make any compromises in this issue. Tuple is an awesome singer and we are forever indebted to him for doing the tour with us and taking us through some hard times. And we will certainly drink vodka with him in the future also!'

On the keyboards the band enlisted Jukka Karinen, who already handled the keyboard duties on the European tour. "One of the most important things that has always driven this band ahead and helped us through hard times is humor," says Nino. "So having Jukka is just a great thing. This guy's sense of humor is definitely on the same level with us, so it makes him a perfect member! Oh, and he is a great player also."

The new lineup will perform for the first time at the ProgPower UK festival in Bristol on March 29.