Sebastian Sippola

Due to family obligations and work commitments, drummer Sebastian “Seb” Sippola has left Swedish heavy rockers GRAND MAGUS. The new man behind the kit is Ludwig “Ludde” Witt (SPIRITUAL BEGGARS, FIREBIRD, SHINING).

Commented Sebastian: “It took a load off my mind that Ludwig was chosen because he is a friend of mine. By the way, honestly and objective: In my opinion Ludwig is the best replacement for me because he already knows J.B. [guitarist/vocalist Janne Christoffersson] and Fox [Skinner, bass] and he exactly knows which demands the drumming at GRAND MAGUS will make on him. They will be a great team and I’m really looking forward to see them live — though I have no idea, how my reaction will be in this situation.”

Added J.B.: “When Sebastian told us that he wanted to concentrate on his family and thus leave the band, it was a tough blow. How to move forward? I knew only one possible drummer who had the combination of old school rock drumming and metal chops like Sebastian and that’s Ludwig Witt who I knew through my tenure in SPIRITUAL BEGGARS. Me and Ludwig have stayed in touch after I left BEGGARS and I knew he was busy with other bands, so I couldn’t really hope that he would be available. But like it was destined to happen, Ludwig agreed to do the album and join the band. It’s weird, because just like it felt completely natural when Sebastian joined, it feels like Ludwig totally belongs in MAGUS! Ludwig is an awesome drummer and we are super-excited to have him on board. We’ll pound out the metal together starting end of May. Prepare for the HUNT!”

Stated Ludwig: “I’m very happy to announce that I, Ludwig Witt, am the new drummer of GRAND MAGUS. I’ve known J.B. for over ten years and I’ve been a fan of GRAND MAGUS since day one so it’s great to be on board. At the moment I’m learning all the classic GRAND MAGUS songs and I get a huge buzz from playing along to songs like ‘Kingslayer’ and ‘Like The Oar Strikes The Water’ so I can’t wait to get out and play the stuff live together with the new stuff from our new album the hunt. See you on the road.”

GRAND MAGUS will release its new album, “The Hunt”, in Europe on May 25 via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD’s cover artwork was created by Arik Roper (CATHEDRAL, HIGH ON FIRE, SLEEP), who also handled the art on GRAND MAGUS‘ “Iron Will” LP.

Commented GRAND MAGUS frontman Janne “J.B.” Christoffersson: “Arik Roper is a super-talented artist and we’ve had the pleasure of working with him before when he did the cover art for our album ‘Iron Will’. This time around with the overall feel and lyrical themes of our new album ‘The Hunt’, Arik was the perfect choice once again. We basicallly just gave him the title and he created one of the most haunting and suggestive images ever seen. He totally nailed what the album is all about. To say we are pleased is a gigantic understatement! This piece of art will stand the test of time and become classic.”

GRAND MAGUS‘s last album, “Hammer Of The North”, was released digitally in North America in January 2011 via Roadrunner Records. The CD was recorded at 301 studios outside of Stockholm and features artwork by Necrolord.

During the band’s 10-year history, GRAND MAGUS released two demos, one split EP and five full-length albums, and has received overwhelmingly positive reviews throughout. Their fourth opus, “Iron Will”, was voted “Album of The Month” in the German Metal Hammer and Rock Hard magazines.

Drawing hefty influences from the hand-on-heart grandeur of the NWOBHM and the inspirational mythology of their forbears, GRAND MAGUS is steeped in pre-Christian tales of triumph, vengeance, betrayal, wisdom and death. But GRAND MAGUS also stands for energetic live performances, as seen at European festivals such as Sweden Rock, Hellfest, Wacken, Summer Breeze and on tour in Europe with bands like AT THE GATES, CATHEDRAL, CANDLEMASS, TYRANT, SERPENTCULT and ELECTRIC WIZARD.