Mike Portnoy has been teasing that he is about to launch a new band that will be very much focused on creating pure heavy metal since the beginning of the year. He then let the cat out of the bag that he would be joined by Testament guitarist Alex Skolnick and Megadeth bassist David Ellefson for the project. But who would sing? Turns out the answer is "special guests."
Today, we have a lot more info.
The project will go under the moniker of Metal Allegiance. If that name sounds familiar, is the collective that get together on cruises and before NAMM to jam on metal classics, and really, the inspiration for the group. So basically, they are taking the live event, which previously featured members of Mastodon, Pantera and Exodus and creating new music in the style of the classics that they cover.
Today, the group, which is rounded out by creator Mark Menghi, have announced a worldwide record deal with Nuclear Blast Entertainment to create nine original songs with an all-star roster of frontman contributing to the tracks as well as some lead guitar contributions from guests. They are aiming for a fall release.
This sounds like something that will be interesting to follow. We're curious who they've been able to nab for the release. When more info is released, we'll keep you posted.
