Former ARCH ENEMY vocalist Alissa White-Gluz has opened up about how her collaboration with DRAGONFORCE on an alternate version of “Burning Heart” eventually evolved into her becoming the band’s new full-time singer.
Speaking in a new interview with Local Band Smokeout, Alissa confirmed that working together on the 2025 track played a major role in leading to the partnership becoming permanent.
“Kind of. I think we all kind of agreed that we got a really good vibe from working together, and that the music could be really cool to combine everything that DRAGONFORCE is known for and what I’m known for, and play on our strengths,” she said (as transcribed by Blabbermouth). “And I think we just weren’t sure if we could really do it. And I think in life you’re never really ready to do something; you just have to do it and then figure it out. And so we were, like, ‘You know what? It’s now or never. Let’s just do it. Let’s just jump into this and make it happen.’ And so we did. And so we’ve been working, yeah, for a while, actually, just to get prepared to be able to perform these shows together, and also working on new music.”
The singer also shared details about the creative chemistry she has experienced while writing fresh material with the extreme power metal outfit, saying the collaboration quickly exceeded expectations once the band started rehearsing and building songs together in person.
“[It’s been] really good. You never know… ‘Cause you can practice your stuff on your own and write independently and it could be fine, but when we actually started playing together in the same room, playing properly, rehearsing, writing, working on lyrics, working on chord structures, parts, arrangements, concepts, titles and stuff like that, we worked on stuff and then we listened back and we were, like, ‘This sounds really good.’ I think we were… We were pretty confident, but then listening back to it, we were, like, ‘Ooh, okay. We’re really on to something here.’ So it was great.”
Alissa was also asked about the condition of longtime DRAGONFORCE vocalist Marc Hudson, who recently stepped away from several festival appearances due to hearing loss and tinnitus issues.
She said: “Yeah, I talk to Marc pretty frequently, actually. He’s great. He’s an amazing singer. His technique is so interesting to me ’cause it’s so different than my technique. He sings in what appears to be a head-dominant mix, and I sing in a chest-dominant mix. But, yeah, I know that it’s really insanely frustrating to try to sing when you can’t hear, and tinnitus is… I mean, there’s no cure for tinnitus, as far as I know. I know a lot of musicians with tinnitus, so I do hope that he starts to feel better soon. I think it’s a struggle, but he’s a professional and he’s working through it, and he’s still able to get some singing done. So I just hope that it goes away for his sake so he doesn’t have to be so frustrated trying to hear himself.”
Earlier this week, DRAGONFORCE announced a North American tour celebrating the 20th anniversary of the band’s landmark album “Inhuman Rampage”. The trek will hit 22 cities across November and December with support from ENSIFERUM and RHAPSODY OF FIRE.
The tour follows DRAGONFORCE’s recent unveiling of Alissa White-Gluz as the band’s new vocalist and first-ever frontwoman. The lineup already previewed its new era with performances at Welcome To Rockville and Sonic Temple, earning strong reactions from fans and media alike.
According to the band, the upcoming shows will feature fan favorites from Inhuman Rampage, elaborate production, and a preview of material from DRAGONFORCE’s forthcoming studio album.
Inhuman Rampage 20th Anniversary Tour Dates
Nov 13 – San Diego, CA – The Observatory North Park
Nov 14 – Anaheim, CA – House of Blues
Nov 15 – Phoenix, AZ – The Van Buren
Nov 17 – Dallas, TX – House of Blues
Nov 18 – Houston, TX – House of Blues
Nov 20 – Lake Buena Vista, FL – House of Blues
Nov 21 – Tampa, FL – The Ritz Ybor
Nov 22 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade (Heaven)*
Nov 24 – Charlotte, NC – The Fillmore Charlotte
Nov 25 – Silver Spring, MD – The Fillmore Silver Spring
Nov 27 – Worcester, MA – Palladium*
Nov 28 – Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore Philadelphia
Nov 29 – New York, NY – Palladium Times Square
Dec 1 – Montreal, QC – MTELUS
Dec 2 – Toronto, ON – HISTORY
Dec 4 – Chicago, IL – The Riviera Theatre
Dec 6 – Minneapolis, MN – The Fillmore Minneapolis
Dec 8 – Denver, CO – Fillmore Auditorium
Dec 9 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Depot
Dec 11 – Sacramento, CA – Ace of Spades
Dec 12 – Berkeley, CA – The UC Theatre
Dec 13 – Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern
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