It's been almost three years since guitarist Peter Wichers announced his departure from one of Sweden's elite metal forces, SOILWORK. Although this initially caused shock and discussion within the metal community, SOILWORK was determined to continue modernizing the face of music and unleashed "Sworn To A Great Divide" in October of 2007.

Still driven to be an unstoppable force, SOILWORK brings great news to all their fans with the following statement:

"Dear SOILWORK fans,

"The past two years have been great although sometimes a bit turbulent. We made another killer album and did several amazing tours around the world; and today it is with sheer joy and excitement that we announce the return of Peter Wichers as a guitarist in SOILWORK. He's been missed both as a bandmate and as a songwriter.

"We know that we can come back even stronger, and it definitely gives us a feeling of inspiration and completion to have Peter, one of the founders of SOILWORK, come back to the fold. We feel that we can look into the future with greater confidence and musical creativity. Having Peter back will complete the circle and the final lineup of the band.

"This also marks Daniel Antonsson's departure from SOILWORK as Peter's replacement since 2006. We are really grateful for Daniel's excellent work and he will be missed. However, to us it's ideal for Peter to fulfill his former duties as a songwriter and guitarist. Going separate ways with Daniel is not an easy decision for us to make, but it's the right one. We wish Daniel the best of luck in the future and many great things with his other band DIMENSION ZERO! Rock on Daniel!!!

"As we previously announced, Dirk's bandmate in SCARVE, Sylvain Coudret, has been doing session work for us throughout the summer festivals and shredding on second guitar. Therefore we're taking this opportunity to confirm Sylvain as a permanent guitar player for SOILWORK. Since we're big fans of SCARVE, we know Sylvain will make a great addition to the songwriting process for the next SOILWORK album.

"Peter's return to SOILWORK will begin on stage with the upcoming European tour."

Peter's personal statement:

"Dear fans of SOILWORK!

"Let me first of all say that I'm incredibly grateful for all the amazing feedback and support that I've received since my departure from SOILWORK almost three years ago.

"When I left SOILWORK, I was at a place in my life where I felt burnt out on touring and I needed to get my life into a more stable situation. I needed to do something other than SOILWORK, perhaps explore more diverse styles of songwriting and musical journeys. Therefore, over the past few years, I've been very focused on production, songwriting and family, and have had the privilege to work with some amazing artists on some really cool and rewarding projects.

"During my time away from the band, my good friend Björn 'Speed' and I had always kept in touch and maintained a great friendship. We recently spoke about working on a possible musical collaboration, and that's when we started toying with the idea of me perhaps returning to SOILWORK.

"I needed some time to think about it, but after careful consideration, I've decided that I still have tons of enthusiasm and creativity to contribute to SOILWORK. I have a lot of love for my brothers in the band, and I would of course be honored to once again share the stage with the greatest metal band in the world!

"So it is with great honor that I now announce my return and 110% commitment to SOILWORK. I guarantee that we'll bring forth one hell of a show and write the best album in the history of SOILWORK's career."

SOILWORK will be on tour with ZIMMERS HOLE and ONE-WAY MIRROR in Europe this November and December. Shortly after, the band will headline a massive North American tour to begin in late January 2009 with DARKANE, WARBRINGER, and SWALLOW THE SUN.