New TO/DIE/FOR Drummer Says 'Time Was Right' For Him To Join Band

Finnish drummer Toni Paananen (MALPRACTICE, REVERSION),who recently joined TO/DIE/FOR as the replacement for Santtu Lonka, has issued the following statement:

"As being a friend with the band members for ten years, maybe it was just waiting to happen and now the time was right. At the moment we are rehearsing and writing new material for the next album. As a full member I will naturally perform with the band on all the upcoming tours around the world. A big thanks goes to TO/DIE/FOR guys and friends of the band for welcoming me to the TO/DIE/FOR family."

TO/DIE/FOR parted ways with Santtu Lonka because "he had no motivation for rehearsing," according to the the group. "Now when we are writing songs for a new album, we need to live in this 200%. Santtu has lots of other things to do, and it is good for him, but time is what we need and especially motivation and rehearsing. There must be the TO/DIE/FOR flame burning in our souls... otherwise this isn't worth doing."

TO/DIE/FOR recently spent time at the Sonic Image Studios in Finland recording demos for its next album.

According to the group, the upcoming CD will include a cover song from either THE LORDS OF THE NEW CHURCH or from DURAN DURAN. In addition, the band has just written a new song called "Johnny the Vampire", which is said to be "a parody about a gothic boy."

In a recent interview with Metalraw.com, TO/DIE/FOR singer Jape Peratalo stated about the group's current label situation, "Our contract with Spinefarm expired and maybe there [was a] possibility to continue with them, I do not know. But we decided to start to looking for something new. Spinefarm Records is OK. But it seems like they have no interest or time for band like we are. They have too many bands to handle. That's why we felt like we are not getting enough things like promotion etc. There are some labels who are interested in us, but this time we are not gonna hurry. We need a company who is ready to work for us with huge motivation. At the moment, I am writing new songs for TO/DIE/FOR, also other guys are writing new stuff. We are gonna be alive in the future more than ever!"

TO/DIE/FOR's fifth album, "Wounds Wide Open", was released in Finland in October 2006. The follow-up to 2005's "IV", "Wounds Wide Open" was recorded by Samu Oittinen at Fantom Studios and by Jari-Jukka Nippala at Sonic Image, and was mixed at Sweden's Abyss Studios by Peter Tägtgren (DIMMU BORGIR, CELTIC FROST).