Visionary Swedish musicians Soilwork officially announce the inclusion of their now 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 their upcoming summer festival performances. See below for a full listing of dates.

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

Watch a video of Thusgaard deftly performing "The Chainheart Machine" with Soilwork via a Sick Drummer Magazine video below:

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."

Soilwork continue to strive toward excellence no matter the elements that are thrown at them. With several summer festivals quickly approaching and fall just around the corner, fans will surely witness this great new chapter of the band's legacy.

Soilwork festival dates:

May
21-22 - Radio Rock Risteily Cruise from Helsinki to Tallinn

June
10 - Brétigny-Sur-Orge, France - Download FR
17 - Clisson, France - Hellfest
23 - Gräfenhainichen, Germany - With Full Force

July
1 - Helsinki, Finland - Tuska Open Air Metal Festival

August
5 - Wacken, Germany - Wacken Open Air
11 - Catton on Hall, United Kingdom - Bloodstock Open Air
25 - Woerrstadt, Germany - Neuborn Open Air Festival

Additional confirmed dates:

November
10 - Malmö, Sweden - KB                       
11 - Gårda, Sweden - Brewhouse  
12 - Oslo, Norway - John Dee                   
13 - Linkoping, Sweden - Pitchers/The Crypt                     
14 - Uppsala, Sweden - Katalin      

(Photo - Marc Duvollet)