Following the breakout success of “Checkmate” — a track that quickly became one of the most widely praised metal releases of the year — former Arch Enemy and current DragonForce vocalist Alissa White-Gluz has returned with “Flying Monkey,” the highly anticipated second single from Blue Medusa.

In Blue Medusa, Alissa White-Gluz is joined by guitarists Alyssa Day of Mindscar and Absentia, alongside Dani Sophia, formerly of Till Lindemann. The live lineup will also feature bassist Alicia Vigil of DragonForce and Vigil of War, as well as drummer Delaney Jaster from Stitched Up Heart.

“Flying Monkey” is a powerful, dark, multi-layered, and emotionally intense release that further cements Blue Medusa as one of the most exciting new forces in modern heavy music.

Το άρθρο BLUE MEDUSA – “FLYING MONKEY” εμφανίστηκε πρώτα στο Myth Of Rock.

Today, DragonForce — long hailed as the fastest band on the planet — charges forward into what promises to be its most ambitious, daring, and electrifying era yet, announcing Alissa White-Gluz as its newest member and first-ever frontwoman. This landmark collaboration unites two unstoppable forces, as the leading innovators of extreme power metal join with one of the genre’s most iconic voices, setting the stage for a bold evolution and a truly explosive new chapter ahead.

Kicking off this Saturday, May 9 at Welcome To Rockville and continuing Sunday, May 17 at Sonic Temple, DragonForce will debut their first live performances with Alissa White-Gluz — shows that also mark the 20th anniversary of “Inhuman Rampage”. Released in 2006, the album spawned the platinum-selling global hit “Through the Fire and Flames”, spent 23 consecutive weeks on the Billboard 200, and achieved gold certification, introducing the band to tens of millions of new fans worldwide. With major touring plans still to be announced and a tenth studio album currently in progress, DragonForce are set to bring even more listeners into the next chapter of their relentlessly energetic and uplifting journey.

“Alissa joining the band is an expansion of everything we’ve done up to this point,” says DRAGONFORCE co-founder and lead guitarist Herman Li. “Twenty years is a long time to do anything, let alone survive the music industry and still be so inspired to continue doing what we love. Together we will honor what made ‘Inhuman Rampage’ matter, while showing people exactly where we’re going next. Having Alissa in the room changes everything. She doesn’t just sing, she makes all aspects of our music better. And she sounds incredible live! I can’t wait for the fans to see her and hear what we have been working on.”

On her new partnership with DRAGONFORCE, and pairing her vocal prowess with the band’s time-warping precision and live show spectacle, Alissa says, “I am beyond excited to be bringing such iconic music to life with these amazingly skilled musicians in such a fun and inspiring environment. It feels great to showcase all the colors of my voice and utilize all my singing styles in technically challenging, deeply energizing, highly addictive songs. I am so thankful for the amazing support I have been lucky enough to receive from the metal world over this wild career I’ve built; I want to keep pushing my boundaries and delivering exceptional music and live experiences to the fans that I cherish so much.”

Το άρθρο DRAGONFORCE: ANNOUNCED ALISSA WHITE-GLUZ εμφανίστηκε πρώτα στο Myth Of Rock.

After more than a decade at the forefront of modern metal, internationally acclaimed vocalist Alissa White-Gluz is entering a powerful new chapter with the launch of her new band, BLUE MEDUSA.

Known for her commanding voice, unmistakable stage presence, and trailblazing role in extreme metal, White-Gluz has built a career defined by momentum and reinvention. Widely recognized as one of the longest-serving female death metal vocalists, she has spent two decades performing on the world’s biggest stages and earning a reputation as one of the genre’s most electrifying frontwomen.

White-Gluz was at the forefront of Arch Enemy’s most successful years in the band’s history, expanding their global audience and performing on the world’s biggest metal stages. Across multiple bands, collaborations and projects throughout her career, White-Gluz has consistently helped push heavy music into new territory. Now, with BLUE MEDUSA, White-Gluz sets her sights on pushing that legacy even further.

Fans can expect the same signature ferocity, theatrical energy and vocal firepower that have defined White-Gluz’s career, now unleashed in a fresh, expansive and electrifying setting.

“Blue Medusa is the next evolution of everything I’ve been building toward for years,” says White-Gluz. “It’s my creative melting pot. Everything fans enjoy about the energy, intensity, and performance they’ve always experienced on stage with me over the past two decades is still here, even stronger. That is me, that is who I am and who I’ve always been. And now it’s amplified and unleashed in a fully sovereign artistic vision. Our music has blazing guitar solos, crushing riffs, brutal vocals, fast and aggressive drums, thoughtful melodies and most importantly (to me), really cogitative lyrics.”

Known for pairing ferocious vocals with thoughtful and introspective lyricism, White-Gluz’s writing channels catharsis, resilience, philosophy and intellectual and emotional depth.

BLUE MEDUSA consists of a trio of world-class musicians; White-Gluz has guitarists Alyssa Day and Dani Sophia at her sides. “The musical chemistry I feel with these women is really bringing me back to life. It is so refreshing and exciting,” says White-Gluz of her fellow gorgons. On stage, on drums and bass, White-Gluz hints that two women at the top of their musical game will be joining her; Delaney Jaster and Alicia Vigil respectively.

“I specifically chose to share this news on International Women’s Day because building stronger platforms for women in heavy music is something I care deeply about. I am brewing up a lot of ideas right now, my brain is in full creative flow. I’ve been carving my own path in this genre for a long time, and I want to help pave the way for the next generation of women who love metal as much as I do. Medusa turned people to stone… I want to pave the road in sapphire.”

With new music coming very soon and live performances already lining up with the band’s live debuts at Louder Than Life and Aftershock festivals, BLUE MEDUSA is taking off like lightning and marks the beginning of an exciting new era for metal fans.

More details will be announced soon.

Το άρθρο ALISSA WHITE-GLUZ RETURNS WITH NEW BAND (BLUE MEDUSA) εμφανίστηκε πρώτα στο Myth Of Rock.

Former ARCH ENEMY vocalist Alissa White-Gluz has unveiled “The Room Where She Died”, the lead single from her forthcoming debut solo album.

The music for “The Room Where She Died” was composed by KAMELOT keyboardist Oliver Palotai, while Alissa handled all vocal writing, performance and recording herself. She also developed the concept for the song’s music video, which was brought to life by the Serbian production team iCODE.

Alissa comments: “I hope you love this first offering from my upcoming solo album.

“‘The Room Where She Died’ is a song that feels truly satisfying to me; like I get to express myself in so many ways that have been dormant for years.

“This upcoming album is diverse; and I love the idea of opening up this new chapter with this song and video, which I wrote the script for.

“Can’t wait to share more with you!”

Το άρθρο ALISSA WHITE-GLUZ – “THE ROOM WHERE SHE DIED” εμφανίστηκε πρώτα στο Myth Of Rock.

Alissa posted the following announcement in her official social media pages:

“After 12 years in ARCH ENEMY, we have parted ways. I am forever thankful to the thousands of amazing fans I have met along the way. Thank you, Beastlings!

“I can’t wait to share what I have been working on with you all (with some big surprises in store). Stay tuned for big news in 2026 and see you very soon.”

Το άρθρο ARCH ENEMY PARTED WAYS WITH ALISSA WHITE-GLUZ εμφανίστηκε πρώτα στο Myth Of Rock.

Kim Thayil welcomed this unique opportunity to rediscover his relationship with the song, outside of the familiar context of performing it as a SOUNDGARDEN member. Though the process of sharing his original contributions and interpretations of his guitar performances with other musicians was challenging, Thayil found it to be personally cathartic, capturing the essence of “The Day I Tried To Live”, while still bringing a fresh power and beauty to the song.

Thayil comments, “I believe that the personal exploration that came out of my accepting the invitation from Mark, and King Ultramega, to participate in these recordings, allowed me to open myself up to the creative risks of sharing an emotive and artistically intimate experience with other creative individuals, and that this has proved to be rewarding and encouraging, for me, of future similar collaborations.”

While Thayil’s smooth, soulful lead guitar performance shines on top, bassist and KING ULTRAMEGA creative visionary Mark Menghi keeps the groove of the song true to form. Menghi’s precise bass performance gives Thayil a familiar foundation to build upon so that together, KING ULTRAMEGA can do justice to Chris Cornell’s legacy.

Menghi comments, “It was a bit nerve racking for me to go in and record this track knowing Kim was going to be on this song, as it’s his band’s song to begin with. In addition, it was equally important for me to keep it true to the original so Alissa had a strong foundation to deliver her magic. ‘What would Chris think?’ was the question that kept repeating in my head over and over.”

As a longtime SOUNDGARDEN fan, vocalist Alissa White-Gluz cites Chris Cornell’s work as highly influential and inspirational to her own, through all of his projects. Her energetic performance carries the song through a range of emotional peaks and valleys, from smooth, dark verses to gritty, soaring choruses. The use of subtle dynamics and textures shows meticulous attention to detail, demonstrating White-Gluz’s intent to craft a tribute that remains true to Chris Cornell’s style and delivery.

“I felt that I needed to try to embody his unique power and swagger when delivering the vocals here,” she comments. “He has always had such a remarkable way of wording things; ‘I stole a thousand beggars’ change and gave it to the rich’ – just so, so good. He always managed to grab our attention with narrative and keep our interest with thoughtful word choice and intriguing messages.”

Finally, drummer Charlie Benante of ANTHRAX lays the beat down with care and intention, closely matching the dynamic structure of the original song. Always playing slightly behind the beat, Benante alternates lighter and heavier playing to recreate the signature sound of “The Day I Tried To Live”.

“This is one of my favorite Soundgarden songs,” Benante comments. “I just love everything about the song. I especially love the ending, I never expected it to end the way it ends. It’s just a beautiful piece of music. Matt’s playing on this tune really compliments the song so much. I just tried to stay true to that.”

A limited run of 500 purple vinyls (available to US purchasers) and 300 lilac vinyls (available to European purchasers) will go on sale beginning November 7, to commemorate SOUNDGARDEN’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The LP featuring “The Day I Tried To Live” and “Rusty Cage” is available exclusively on the Reigning Phoenix Music webstore, SOUNDGARDEN webstore, and KING ULTRAMEGA webstore.

Το άρθρο KING ULTRAMEGA: UNVEIL “THE DAY I TRIED TO LIVE” (FEAT. KIM THAYIL, ALISSA WHITE-GLUZ) εμφανίστηκε πρώτα στο Myth Of Rock.