By now you've heard that James Malone is sitting out of Arsis' upcoming tour supporting Firewind. Well, now the band has announced the replacements for Malone: Mike Parks will be filling in on vocals, a role he's played in the past when Malone was unable to perform. Relative unknown Brandon Ellis will be filling in on guitars. Here is the full statement from the band, along with a video of Ellis' chops:
“Mike Parks will be performing vocals for the tour in October. He’s the obvious choice as he has helped us out in the past when Malone lost his voice, and was actually the singer of the band that became ARSIS. He is a long-time friend and an extremely strong singer, and we’re happy to have him with us.
We’d also like to introduce Brandon Ellis. This is something incredibly special. He is a young guy who plays with the kind of maturity that has become rare in the modern metal and shred scene. His presence will take the guitar chops in ARSIS to a new high. Talk is cheap, so see for yourself
WE ARE NOT CANCELING. ‘The Frets of Fury’ tour was built specifically around the participation of ARSIS and it would be dishonorable to back out and hang everybody out to dry. So we are bringing a brutal set of new music (some of which we’ve already shared online) and some old ones, which have never been played live despite a constant clamor for them. The lineup is AWESOME as all at the shows will soon discover.”
