BRIAN TICHY Is Excited And Honored To Be Playing Drums For WHITESNAKE

Brian Tichy, who has previously played with FOREIGNER, BILLY IDOL, OZZY OSBOURNE, VELVET REVOLVER and LYNCH MOB, was officially announced this past week as WHITESNAKE's new drummer, replacing Chris Frazier, who was in the group for three years.

Commented Tichy: "[WHITESNAKE frontman] David Coverdale put a press release out [on Friday] announcing me as the new WHITESNAKE drummer. So it is with utmost respect, regard, pleasure and honor that I am able to write the words 'I am hittin' skins, pounding time, providing groove and rocking in an unequivocal fashion with one of the most undeniable forces in rock, WHITESNAKE!'

"I am greatly appreciative of the trust bestowed on me by the mighty, Lord Of Voices, David Coverdale, and my bud, who happens to be one of the most killer guitarists around, Doug Aldrich. I am also looking forward to getting it tight with Reb [Beach, guitar] and Timothy [Drury, keyboards]!

"I hope to do all I can to make this band as great and as successful as it can be as well as making the fans happy.

"I too, am, and have been, a fan. (I practiced many hours in high school to the 'Slide It In' cassette! I ain't no stranger!)

"I'm excited to record and tour over the next year as I chase the footsteps of my idols Ian Paice, Cozy Powell and Tommy Aldridge!"

Brian Tichy will honor his previous touring commitments with LYNCH MOB before focusing on his new gig.

WHITESNAKE has yet to name a replacement for bassist Uriah Duffy, whose departure from the band was also announced this past week.

WHITESNAKE is currently in the studio writing and recording the follow-up to 2008's "Good To Be Bad" for a spring release via Frontiers Records.

According to a press release, WHITESNAKE's next CD will be "a solid, natural progression from the band's last opus, which was awarded by the influential Classic Rock magazine as 'Best Album of the Year' in 2008." "As always, we want to take it to the next level," stated vocalist David Coverdale. "I feel that with the last album we achieved a strong WHITESNAKE 'cocktail' that comfortably embraced and mixed all the previous musical aspects and styles of the band's history, while taking our identity a little further... all on one album."

Coverdale said the production team for the new album will most likely be the infamous Brutal Brothers, or Los Bros Brutalos, who handled the recording of "Good To Be Bad".

"The new songs are in the very familiar and recognizable WHITESNAKE territory of soulful, bluesy, melodic power rock, with a couple of ballads thrown in for good measure," the singer said. "It can't be a WHITESNAKE album without ballads, mate!"

WHITESNAKE was forced to cancel a number of shows on its 2009 summer U.S. tour with JUDAS PRIEST due to David Coverdale being diagnosed with "severe vocal fold edema and a left vocal fold vascular lesion."

In a February 2010 interview that was posted at WHITESNAKE's official web site, Coverdale stated, "My health and my voice have never been better. I am pleased with how I'm sounding on the demos of the new songs. Very secure, good tone, very powerful. No worries, baby. None whatsoever. I am so disappointed that I had to cancel the show and the U.S. tour, but these things happen. Fortunately, it doesn't happen a lot to me and the problem I had is not something that is ongoing. It was a one-time problem, some kind of blister on one of my vocal cords, and it hurt. The cure was simple — rest. I would have been able to tour again had there been an opportunity six weeks later. The human voice is a very fragile instrument, no matter how well you take care of it, and I assure you I invest in every vocal protocol you can possibly imagine. Ask any of my throat specialists. It was just one of those things."

WHITESNAKE's appearance at U.K.'s Download festival in June 2009 coincided with action-packed re-releases of the multi-platinum albums "Slip Of The Tongue", marking its 20th anniversary, and "Slide It In", which celebrated its 25th anniversary last year.

WHITESNAKE's latest album, "Good To Be Bad", was released through SPV/Steamhammer in April 2008. In addition to the regular jewel-case version, a limited-edition two-disc set contains an extra CD in a cardboard sleeve, as well as a poster, photocard and sticker.