Rock vets Journey [ tickets ] have named their third lead singer in less than two years, with Arnel Pineda taking over frontman duties from Jeff Scott Soto, who left the band in May.

Pineda, who hails from The Philippines, had been singing Journey songs (along with his own original material) with his band, The Zoo, the last few years in clubs in his home country.

"It's so exciting to sing with one of the best bands in the world," Pineda said in a press statement. "It'll be a lot of hard work on my part and I'm actually looking forward to the scrutiny I'll get from the hardcore Journey fans. I know they'll expect me to sound exactly like 'the voice' (Steve Perry), but that will never happen. I know there's only one Steve Perry in this world."

Soto, who was named Journey's lead singer almost exactly a year ago, had taken over from Steve Augeri, who had been with the band since the departure of original lead singer Steve Perry following the band's 1996 reunion album, "Trial By Fire."

Guitarist Neal Schon turned to YouTube to search for a new singer, he said in a press statement.

"I was frustrated about not having a singer, so I went on YouTube for a couple of days and just sat on it for hours," he said. "I was starting to think I was never going to find anybody. But then I found The Zoo and I watched a bunch of different video clips that they had posted. After watching the videos over and over again, I had to walk away from the computer and let what I heard sink in because it sounded too good to be true.

"I thought, 'he can't be that good.' But he is that good, he's the real deal and so tremendously talented. Arnel doesn't sound synthetic and he's not emulating anyone."

"Arnel brings a soulful and passionate voice to Journey," added keyboardist Jonathan Cain. "His personality is very well-suited to our music. He's a sincere, authentic person with a great smile and a big heart. I think fans are really going to love him. With Arnel's soaring tenor, Journey returns to our heritage sound."

Perry sang on the band's best-known songs, which include a string of late-'70s and early '80s hits such as "Don't Stop Believin'," "Wheel in the Sky," "Any Way You Want It" and "Open Arms." "Remember Me," a song that Journey contributed to the 1998 soundtrack for the film "Armageddon," was the band's first release to feature Augeri.

The band's most recent studio album (and last to feature Augeri), "Generations," was released in 2005. The group is currently in the studio with producer Kevin Shirley (Iron Maiden, Rush) working on a new album for 2008, with plans for a world tour later in the year, according to the group's publicist.