CHILDREN OF BODOM: New Touring Guitarist ANTTI WIRMAN 'Was The Obvious Choice'

Finnish metallers CHILDREN OF BODOM have recruited Antti Wirman, the younger brother of the band's keyboardist Janne Wirman, to handle second-guitar duties for their upcoming shows.

Antti, who has been a member of Janne's band WARMEN since 2001, made his live debut with CHILDREN OF BODOM last Saturday night (May 30) when the group played a surprise six-song set at Nosturi in Helsinki, Finland.

"We wanted to go with someone close to the band we can count on and who can nail these songs. Antti was the obvious choice," says Janne.

Antti will continue playing with CHILDREN OF BODOM through the band's appearance at the Kuopio RockCock festival on August 1. The group will then decide what to do about the second-guitarist position on a more permanent basis.

CHILDREN OF BODOM's first official concert with Antti will take place on Thursday, June 4 at the Sweden Rock Festival in Sölvesborg, Sweden.

CHILDREN OF BODOM last week announced the departure of the band's guitarist of the past decade, Roope Latvala. The band explained in a statement: "As we parted ways with no bad blood, we wish him nothing but the best and thank him for allowing us to share the last twelve years of our lives with him. [We] hope [the fans] know that this will not affect the upcoming shows or the new album as we recorded it as a four-piece and it is already mixed, mastered, heavy as shit and ready to go!"

CHILDREN OF BODOM's new CD is due later in the year via Nuclear Blast.

The band's last studio effort, "Halo Of Blood", was certified gold in Finland for sales in excess of 10,000 copies. The album, which sold 8,400 copies in the United States in its first week of release, was made available in June 2013 in North America via Nuclear Blast.