Soilwork have recruited former Hearts Alive bassist Markus Wibom, the band have confirmed.
He’s toured with the group previously and has been brought in to replace long-time member Ola Flink, who’s left the Swedish outfit to concentrate on other projects.
Vocalist Bjorn ‘Speed’ Strid says: “We all sooner or later come to a crossroad in our lives when our focus of being fuelled by the past is just as strong as our visions of the future and we have to make that incredibly hard decision. Where do I go now?
“Flink will forever be a symbol for Soilwork and of all we were and still are about. That said, we could sense he eventually would come to the above mentioned crossroad. He understandably and respectfully chose to step down.”
The frontman calls Wibom an “amazing musician” and adds: “As much as I will miss Flink, I’m just as excited to tour the world with one of my absolute best friends. Thank you Flink, you will forever rule. Thank you Markus for taking this on.”
Wibon adds: “It’s a great honour and a true pleasure to play with such skilled musicians and amazing people! It’s going to be awesome to share the stage with those guys after all these years on the road together.”
The band will release their 10th studio album entitled The Ride Majestic on August 28 via Nuclear Blast. It’s currently available to pre-order.
Soilwork head out on a world tour next month, kicking off in Germany on July 25:
Jul 25: Essen Nord Open Air, Germany
Jul 30: Budapest Fezen Festival, Hungary
Aug 01: Bollnas Karlslundfestivalen, Sweden
Aug 07: Mikkeli Jurassic Rock Fest, Finland
Sep 30: Los Angeles Fonda Theater, CA, US
Oct 01: San Francisco Regency Ballroom, CA, US
Oct 02: Portland Hawthorne Theater, OR, US
Oct 03: Seattle Studio Seven, WA, US
Oct 04: Vancouver Rickshaw Theatre, Canada
Oct 06: Kelowna Level Nightclub, Canada
Oct 07: Edmonton Starlite Room, Canada
Oct 08: Saskatoon O’Brian’s Event Centre, Canada
Oct 09: Winnipeg The Park Theatre, Canada
Oct 10: Minneapolis Amserdam, MN, US
Oct 11: Joliet Mojoes, IL, US
Oct 12: Des Moines Val Air Ballroom, IA, US
Oct 13: Cleveland Agora Theater, OH, US
Oct 14: Toronto The Opera House, Canada
Oct 15: Montreal Corona Theater, Canada
Oct 18: Columbus Northland Performing Arts Center, OH, US
Oct 19: Pontiac Crofoot Ballroom, MI, US
Oct 20: New York Gramercy Theater, NY, US
Oct 21: Baltimore Ottobar, MD, US
Oct 22: Knoxville The International, TN, US
Oct 23: Atlanta The Masquerade, GA, US
Oct 24: Fort Lauderdale Culture Room, FL, US
Oct 25: St Petersburg State Theater, FL, US
Oct 27: Houston Scout Bar, TX, US
Oct 28: Austin Empire Control Room, TX, US
Oct 29: Dallas Gas Monkey, TX, US
Oct 30: Albuquerque Sunshine Theater, NM, US
Oct 31: Mesa Club Red, AZ, US
Nov 01: San Diego Brick By Brick, CA, US
Nov 27: Malmo KB, Sweden
Nov 28: Herford X-Herford, Germany
Nov 29: Lyss Kufa, Switzerland
Nov 30: Sion Port Franc, Switzerland
Dec 01: Brescia Colony, Italy
Dec 02: Munich Backstage, Germany
Dec 04: Leipzing Hellraiser, Germany
Dec 05: Pilsen Winter Basinfire Fest, Czech Republic
Dec 07: Hamburg Logo, Germany
Dec 08: Cologne Luxor, Germany
Dec 10: Tilburg 013, Netherlands
Dec 11: Vosselaar Biebob, Belgium
Dec 12: Metz Les Trinitaires, France
Dec 13: Dunkirk 4 Ecluses, France
Dec 14: Paris Le Trabendo, France
Dec 15: Rennes Antipode MJC, France
Dec 16: Cenon Le Rocher De Palmer, France
Dec 17: Blois Chato’do, France
Dec 18: Limoges Centre Culturel John Lennon, France
Dec 19: Villeurbanne Centre Culturel Oecumenique
