Finland's STRATOVARIUS are bidding farewell to longtime drummer Jörg Michael, who will leave the band after 15 years for personal reasons. Jörg will play all the remaining tour dates until the end of January, and will celebrate with a special Finnish Farewell Jörg tour in Finland from November 18th - 26th.

Jörg joined the band in 1995 and the first Stratovarius album he played on was Episode (1996). He played on nine albums and performed nearly 1,000 shows with the band.

"The rest of us just has to accept Jörg's decision with a lot of sadness and wish him all the best for the future. But we can also assure that the band will still go on", says the singer Timo Kotipelto.

The band and Jörg are not going completely separate ways though, since Jörg will still be working for the band with his booking agency Twisted Talent Concerts.

"Our long journey of over fifteen years together has not ended yet, as Jörg remains among our background forces - and we couldn't be more happy about that. Not only has he been a great drummer but also a close friend and a true professional. We're honoured to have Jörg by our side for this farewell Tour. We can't wait to rock with our 'German Steamroller' one last time! These shows will be unforgettable for all of us", Kotipelto continues.

Stratovarius released their latest studio album, Elysium, earlier this year. The brand new video for the second single, Under Flaming Skies, can be seen below:

Jörg Finnish Farewell Tour dates include:

November

18 - Mikkeli, Finland - Mikaeli
19 - Tampere, Finland - Pakkahuone
23 - Jyväskylä, Finland - Lutakko
25 - Oulu, Finland - Club Teatria
26 - Helsinki, Finland - Tavastia