Back in September 2011, Finnish battle metallers TURISAS announced that Jukka-Pekka Miettinen (ex-ARTHEMESIA, ENSIFERUM) had joined the band on bass, and Robert Engstrand (ex-KOTIPELTO, THE FLOWER KINGS) came into a completely new role in the band - as akeyboard player. The news came following bassist Hannes Horma and accordionist Netta Skog's decision to leave the band "due to personal and motivational reasons." A new promo picture of the band is available below:

Photo by Rob Orthen Photography

The band issued the following statement when the line-up changes were announced:

"A band is not something that can be kept together by force. If someone wants to quit, there's not much the rest of us can do about that. Both for Hannes and Netta it came down to the same thing: a choice between the band and other personal interests had to be made. We tried to find a compromise where both could be combined, but unfortunately in both cases it didn't seem possible at their end. Neither Hannes or Netta played a critical role in the creative process and studio work of the band, so in this sense not much will change. Still, they were always great onstage and we shared many memorable moments together. We would like to make it very clear that there is no drama here, and thankfully no hard feelings. Both Hannes and Netta made their decisions completely independently, based on their own personal reasons. Their departures are not connected in any way, it was just that this short quiet period between the Euro festivals and the forthcoming touring was the only meaningful time to make a smooth changeover to the new members.

We'd like to thank Hannes and Netta for all the good times we had together over the years, and wish them both the best of luck in the future. As far as Jukka-Pekka and Robert go, these guys are both very talented musicians, and we are very excited about hitting the road with this new lineup. Please welcome our newest reinforcements this is the beginning of a new era!"

Turisas will be heading back to North America this month for Paganfest America Part III, their first-ever US headlining run. Joining the Finnish sextet on the tour will be ALESTORM, ARKONA, HUNTRESS and HAMMER HORDE.

Tour dates:

March

29 - Baltimore, MD - Sonar
30 - Worcester, MA - Palladium
31 - New York, NY - Gramercy Theatre

April

1 - Montreal, QC - Club Soda
2 - Toronto, ON - The Opera House
3 - Cleveland, OH - Peabody's
4 - Detroit, MI - Blondie's
5 - Chicago, IL - Reggie's Rock Club
6 - Saint Paul, MN - Station 4
7 - Louisville, KY - Vernon Club
8 - Charlotte, NC - Tremont Music Hall
9 - Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade
11 - Dallas, TX - Trees
12 - Lubbock, TX - Jake's
13 - Denver, CO - Summit Music Hall
15 - Seattle, WA - Studio Seven
16 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theatre
17 - San Francisco, CA - DNA Lounge
18 - West Hollywood, CA - Key Club