Iconic rockers THIN LIZZY have announced the bass player for the forthcoming run of European festival appearances to commemorate 50 years since the formation of the original band and 40 years since the release of the seminal "Black Rose" album.

Troy Sanders from Atlanta progressive metallers MASTODON will be joining guitarist Scott Gorham, Darren Wharton on keyboards, Ricky Warwick on lead vocals, Damon Johnson on guitar and JUDAS PRIEST's Scott Travis on drums for the following dates:

July 28 - Steelhouse Festival - Ebbw Vale, S. Wales, UK (exclusive "Black Rose" album set)

Aug. 04 - Rewind North Festival - Macclesfield, Cheshire, UK

Aug. 08 - Leyendas Del Rock Festival - Alicante, Spain

Aug. 10 - Alcatraz Festival - Kortrijk, Belgium

Gorham states: "We are very happy to welcome Troy to the LIZZY family! We met a few years ago at Download festival and he's a great guy and killer bass player to boot, so very happy he wanted to join us for the shows this summer."

Warwick adds: "MASTODON are a fantastic band and knowing how much of a THIN LIZZY fan Troy is, he will be an amazing addition to the fold"

Sanders states: "It's no secret that THIN LIZZY has had a big influence on MASTODON's music. Being asked to join them on stage is a big deal and true honor to me. I am really looking forward to it!"

THIN LIZZY peaked in 1976 with its "Jailbreak" album, which went gold in the U.S.

The band's frontman Phil Lynott died on January 4, 1986, at the age of 36.

Gorham launched a new touring version of THIN LIZZY in 1994 with latter-day LIZZY guitarist John Sykes. Several personnel changes followed until Scott finally brought singer Ricky Warwick (frontman for the Scottish band THE ALMIGHTY) and guitarist Damon Johnson (formerly with Alice Cooper) into the fold.