DragonForce have officially introduced Alissa White-Gluz as the band’s newest vocalist, revealing that the former Arch Enemy singer will now perform alongside longtime frontman Marc Hudson as the group moves into a new era.
Her debut performances with the band are happening soon, with White-Gluz set to appear at Florida’s Welcome To Rockville this weekend before joining DragonForce again at Ohio’s Sonic Temple the following week.
The upcoming concerts are part of the celebration marking 20 years since the release of Inhuman Rampage, the 2005 record that pushed DragonForce into worldwide metal success.
The group also revealed that this new version of the band has already started creating new music, hinting at an exciting new direction for the future.
Founding guitarist Herman Li described White-Gluz joining the band as an important new chapter for DragonForce.
He explained: “Alissa joining the band is an expansion of everything we’ve done up to this point."
Li also shared that even after two decades together, the band still feels inspired to keep evolving.
He said: “Together we will honour what made Inhuman Rampage matter, while showing people exactly where we’re going next… She doesn’t just sing, she makes all aspects of our music better. And she sounds incredible live!”
White-Gluz opened up about how excited she is to take on the new role, saying the collaboration already feels creatively rewarding and refreshing.
She said: “I am beyond excited to be bringing such iconic music to life with these amazingly skilled musicians.
“It feels great to showcase all the colours of my voice… in technically challenging, deeply energising, highly addictive songs.”
She also spoke about the continued support from fans over the years and how much it motivates her moving forward.
She said: “I want to keep pushing my boundaries and delivering exceptional music and live experiences to the fans that I cherish so much.”
The news follows a major transition period for White-Gluz, who officially exited Arch Enemy in November before releasing her debut solo single The Room Where She Died later that same day.
White-Gluz spent 12 years as part of the Swedish melodic death metal outfit.
The band's social media statement regarding her exit read: “Arch Enemy have parted ways with singer Alissa White-Gluz. We’re thankful for the time and music we’ve shared and wish her all the best. Wherever there is an ending, there is also a beginning. See you in 2026.”
White-Gluz wrote in her own statement: "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, Beastligns! I can’t wait to share what I have been working on with you all (some big surprises in store). Stay tuned for big news in 2026 and see you very soon."
White-Gluz’s position in Arch Enemy was later filled by One Human musician Lauren Hart.
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Paul McCartney welcomed around 50 fortunate fans into Abbey Road Studios on Tuesday, May 5, for an intimate preview of his upcoming album, ‘The Boys Of Dungeon Lane’. During the special listening session, he opened up about the inspiration and memories behind many of the songs featured on the project.
After attendees handed over their phones, they were guided into the iconic Studio Two, the same room where The Beatles famously recorded much of their catalogue. Before the event officially began, McCartney’s voice could already be heard from the control room as fans looked around hoping to spot the music legend. He later walked downstairs into the studio, where a cosy set designed like a personal living room had been arranged with vinyl records, framed pictures, and decorative pieces, including a street sign displaying the album’s title.
“Hello, welcome to Abbey Road,” McCartney greeted the audience as he settled into his chair. “I’m going to play the new album for you and try and think of stuff to say about it.” Over the next hour and a half, he reflected on moments from his childhood in Liverpool and the earliest years of his bond with his Beatles bandmates.
He explained that the album includes “quite a few” tracks that revisit earlier parts of his life and shared why he often finds himself writing about the past. “It occurred to me that that’s where your big bank of information is,” he said. “If you’re Charles Dickens, you’re gonna write about how your dad was in prison or something. [The past] is a very rich field of information.”
One of those reflective tracks is ‘Down South’, an acoustic driven song that recalls McCartney hitchhiking with George Harrison when the pair first became close. “It would be me who’d suggest to John [Lennon] and George, ‘Let’s go hitchhiking’,” he remembered. “I can’t see John doing that, or George. It was my thing.” He then jokingly exaggerated his Liverpool accent while recreating the moment, before sharing a story about getting a ride on a milk float with Harrison, who ended up sitting on the battery and burning himself when the zip on his jeans touched it.
“Memories are a weird thing,” he said while wrapping up the story. “I was talking to Olivia [Harrison, George’s widow] and she said, ‘Oh yeah, George told me about that and how you got the zip burn!’ I swear it was George!”
‘Days We Left Behind’, the first single from ‘The Boys Of Dungeon Lane’, includes references to Lennon, who McCartney admitted he still gets “emotional talking about” to this day. Another track, ‘Home To Us’, reflects on life growing up in Liverpool and the working class neighbourhoods McCartney, Harrison and Ringo Starr came from. “The three of us were raised in quite poor conditions,” he told fans, laughing that when he describes the housing estates to Americans, “it sounds like Downton Abbey”. “No matter how rough it was, it was home to us.”
The song also features Starr on drums and vocals, with the two musicians trading lines throughout the track. McCartney explained that Starr originally recorded the drum parts at producer Andrew Watt’s Los Angeles studio, though the drummer became frustrated after not hearing the recording appear anywhere. McCartney later asked Watt to replay the session and described the performance as “really good – very Ringo”, which motivated him to complete the song and send it back to Starr, telling him, “‘Here you are, this is what you wanted’”.
Paul McCartney credit: Sonny McCartney / MPL Communications
When McCartney later invited Starr to contribute vocals, the drummer only returned chorus parts, leaving McCartney unsure how he felt about the song. “I thought, ‘He must hate it!’” he admitted. After speaking directly with Starr, the pair eventually understood each other properly and completed what McCartney described as the first “Paul-Ringo duet”.
Elsewhere on the album, McCartney revealed that ‘The Boys Of Dungeon Lane’ includes the first song he has ever written about his parents, ‘Salesman Saint’, which centres on perseverance through difficult periods “because they had to”. Other songs include ‘Mountaintop’, inspired by the “hippy mood” surrounding Glastonbury, and ‘Ripples In A Pond’, written as a love song dedicated to his wife Nancy.
Throughout the listening session, McCartney enthusiastically mouthed the lyrics, pretended to play drums and guitar along with the music, and occasionally grabbed an acoustic guitar to demonstrate certain melodies for the crowd. While discussing ‘Life Can Be Hard’, he played the main guitar riff live. After accidentally hitting the wrong note, he laughed and admitted, “I haven’t been practising. You’d think if you knew you were doing this, then you’d have practised.” Smiling afterward, he added: “But I don’t care!”
‘The Boys Of Dungeon Lane’ arrives on May 29 and was produced by Watt across sessions in Los Angeles and East Sussex.
Just hours after the playback event ended, it was also revealed that McCartney will appear as a guest on The Rolling Stones’ forthcoming album, ‘Foreign Tongues’. The collaboration follows his contribution to the band’s previous release, ‘Hackney Diamonds’.
