Drummer and original member Kosta Zafiriou has left German heavy metallers Pink Cream 69 to concentrate on his new band Unisonic. He will be replaced by his long time drum technician Chris Schmidt, who also played with Sunstorm.

Kosta Zafiriou explained his departure: "It was a very hard decision to leave the band I co-founded back in 1987, but I am sure this is the right step. Due to my various activities with my company Bottom Row plus being the drummer and manager of my new band Unisonic, more and more I felt I was retarding PC 69's career. Chris is a great drummer and a good friend of the band since many years, which makes him the perfect match for Pink Cream 69. I wish the guys only the best and look forward to see the first show with him - as a visitor, enjoying the songs that accompanied me half of my life!"

The band started recording the successor to In10sity this month. The new album will be released by Marquee/Avalon (Japan and SouthEast Asia) and Frontiers Music (rest of the world) in autumn 2012.

Guitarist Alfred Koffler commented on the new album: "The vibe within the band is very enthusiastic and creative. There are far too many strong songs by Dennis (Ward), David (Readman) and myself to pick from. There will be eleven of them on the album plus a couple of bonus tracks for the different markets and formats. We also will have guest appearances by two famous musicians on the new record - both fans of the band. More on that soon!"

Source:	pinkcream69.de
Band profile:	Pink Cream 69