THUNDERSTONE: New Album Pushed Back To September

Finnish metallers THUNDERSTONE are tentatively scheduled to release their fifth album in September. According to the group, "The original release date of April 2009 was postponed because the band wants to take their time finishing what bass player Titus Hjelm says will be their 'heaviest, grooviest and all-around best album yet.' The exact date and further information on the release will be published in the coming months."

THUNDERSTONE recently posted a new song, "Star", on teh band's MySpace page. The track showcases THUNDERSTONE at its heaviest so far and features guest vocals from AMORPHIS frontman Tomi Joutsen. The song was also released on Playground Music's "Dark Playground" compilation, which was made available for free at the Finnish Metal Expo on February 13-14.

THUNDERSTONE last year announced the addition of singer Rick Altzi from Sweden to the group's ranks. Rick has contributed his wonderful voice to many metal albums, most recently with German group AT VANCE (a band which he is still a member of).

August 2007 saw THUNDERSTONE part ways with vocalist Pasi Rantanen and keyboard player Kari Tornack, leaving fans wondering about the future of the band. The group, however, did not rest on its heels and did a full European tour in October-December 2007, recruiting vocalist Tommi "Tuple" Salmela from TAROT and keyboardist Jukka Karinen. The temporary lineup created a flood of speculation, which has been put to rest with the announcement of the band's new formation. On the keyboards the band enlisted Jukka Karinen, who already handled the keyboard duties on the European tour.