Original news, posted on 31.12.2009

Symphonic power metal band Celesty is sorry to announce that vocalist Antti Railio has decided to pursue a different path from the band.

The remaining members of Celesty would like to take this moment to wish Antti success in his vocal career but they are ready to take the next step for the future of the band. With this said Celesty is moving on and already in the throes of creating new and more powerful, innovative music for their next CD. While they are busy creating they are also in search of just the right singer to bring a new edge to their music. To pursue their newest project, Celesty will be holding auditions for a new singer soon.

Vocalist Antti Railio explains his departure: "I have already for a long time felt my place in Celesty to be merely an exit station in a long-overdue relationship that I just didn't know how to let go. I have not felt in a long time the joy and the passion that one should feel towards his or her own music... Thus I know want to concentrate to my own life and make music, as I, myself, see fit and without any outside/inside stress.

My strong opinion is that the music you do should come within your heart. With your own words, purely respecting one self, and the listener. That's why I'll now concentrate fully on my long-lasted dream, and accomplishing it with full concentration. My new band Iron Age Remains will see the dawn of light in January/February 2010!"


UPDATE (thanks to Bad English)

Celesty have tapped Tony Turunen (yes, the brother of famed ex-Nightwish vocalist Tarja Turunen) as their new lead vocalist.

"This feels awesome!" Tony admits. "This is a new and interesting challenge for me. I'm eagerly waiting to see what the future holds for me and the band."

Dozens of singers applied for the position, but in the end the decision was easy and unambiguous. "He's not only a great singer, but also a talented lead vocalist with a very powerful stage presence. Plus he's a great guy!" summarizes drummer and composer Jere Luokkamäki.

Celesty's search for a new vocalist began in December. Even if the band was sure who they wanted, the new vocalist had to wait for the confirmation until February.

"A good friend of mine mentioned that Celesty was looking for a new lead vocalist. Since I had listened a lot to their latest album Vendetta, I decided to apply for the position." Tony explains. "Of course I hoped they'd choose me, but I was still surprised when the band invited me to meet them in a studio. Eventually I recorded vocals for three songs in January. After some time, which actually felt reeeaaally long, the band welcomed me to be their new singer."

"I feel positive about the future, and I already have lots of ideas for the band. I will do my best and be creative, both in the studio and during live shows. My expectations for the band are extremely high!" says Tony, whose first live show with Celesty will be in March.

Source:	celesty.net
Band profile:	Celesty