Earlier this week, Megadeth made it official -- Dirk Verbeuren is their new drummer. But with Verbeuren joining Megadeth on a permanent basis, that meant that he was leaving his longtime band, Soilwork. With the announcement being made, both Soilwork and Verbeuren have issued statements concerning the drummer's exit.

Soilwork vocalist Bjorn "Speed" Strid spoke on behalf of the band, stating that he wished Verbeuren well on his new gig in Megadeth and he took the time to thank the drummer for his contributions over the past 12 years. He also used his statement to assure fans that Soilwork will continue to approach their music with passion and presence. You can read his statement below.

In regards to the statement Megadeth released yesterday, confirming that Dirk will join them as their full time drummer, I just want to take the time to wish Dirk good luck on this new venture and thank him for 12 great years together. Together we have created a beast of a band and have pushed the limits musically further than we ever could have imagined.”

In the recent years Soilwork have found new ways of expressing ourselves and as much as of a cliché it is, I strongly believe that this is very much of a new era for us and that we still have so much left to say, whether it being with or without Dirk. This band has grown to be quite a metal collective and an institution that paves the way creatively and we hope that you, the fans, can feel the presence and the heart in our music still to this day.

Believe me, it’s there. I can assure that you will forever get 100% Soilwork, as long as we release albums. We aim to surprise ourselves and the listeners by constantly developing our sound and songwriting, something I believe we have succeeded in doing and yet remained true to our roots. That is something to be proud of and we are. We appreciate all our loyal fans and are excited that so many of you share our musical vision.

Meanwhile, I’m sure many of you have seen us at a festival in Europe this summer with our friend, Bastian Thusgaard filling in on drums and I’m sure we can all agree on what a monster he is. Thank you Bastian, you are absolutely killing it. Check out the remaining festival dates and come see us. We’ll be there. Thank you.

As for Verbeuren who issued a statement along with his announcement about joining Megadeth, he issued another statement meant more for the Soilwork fans. His comments can be seen below:

They say the biggest decisions in life are the hardest to make. This decision falls under that category. As a drummer I’ve always enjoyed the evolution of my path. The past twelve years with Soilwork have been incredible, a portion of my life I honor with pride. When I was approached to join Megadeth– a childhood dream come true and something I never anticipated- I was beyond excited to even consider the realm of possibility. But truth be told, I couldn’t have rightfully made this step without the support and blessing of my Soilwork family.
For that I owe a huge thank you to Bjorn, Sven, David, Sylvain and Markus. You have allowed me to see what lies ahead, and you’re my brothers in metal. Chris Adler, thank you for introducing me to Megadeth and for your encouragement and support. Dave, David and Kiko, I’m thankful for your warm welcome and thrilled to perform and create badass music with you guys. To the fans, this is a new chapter for us; I hope we can enjoy this ride together!

Verbeuren has been touring with Megadeth since May, making his debut at the Rock on the Range festival. Meanwhile, Soilwork are filling the time between studio albums with a new rarities collection titled Death Resonance. The album will arrive on Aug. 19 via Nuclear Blast.

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