SOILWORK TO BEGIN RECORDING IN MARCH

According to a post on Blabbermouth.net and the official Soilwork website, Soilwork are set to begin recording their new album in March. Says the band on their official site:

“Right now we’re working on the new songs. We have about seven songs ready and so far it sounds great. It will be a killer album. We will enter the studio at the beginning of March and, hopefully, the album will be out at late summer. We will keep you updated of the recording progress.

“And… regarding the guitarist situation; Soon it will be decided who’s gonna replace Peter [Wichers].

I have high hopes for Soilwork, but fear they may suffer Sevendust’s fate by returning to mid-level mediocrity after losing their primary songwriter. By touring with a replacement guitarist, the band proved able to find an adequate player capable of handling the material; but can a new guitarist, once a permanent replacement is announced, steer Soilwork in the right direction and continue to deliver the same quality songs?

Stabbing the Drama was a big step for the band that vaulted them from relative insider-only obscurity into the main stream. The band toured 250 shows for the album, including a slot on the Ozzfest 2005 second stage. Predator’s Portrait, Natural Born Chaos, Figure Number Five and Stabbing the Drama progressively showed a natural evolution in the band’s sound, which one can only hope will continue with the new album.

Can the Helsingborg, Sweden-based metallers match their recent outpost without Wichers? Your thoughts, please.