Supergroup jam collective Metal Allegiance have signed with Nuclear Blast Entertainment. Given the veritable who’s who list of artists who have performed under the banner in the past, the signing might be a bit confusing. As part of the deal, four principal performers will make up the core of the group, they are Metal Allegiance partner Mark Menghi, Megadeth bassist David Ellefson, The Winery Dogs drummer Mike Portnoy and Testament guitarist Alex Skolnick.
Much like their live performances, various guests have been called in for the project with a list of participants still pending. A fall release for the album is expected and Nuclear Blast Entertainment president Monte Conner said of the project:
“I am incredibly fortunate to be able to work with legendary musicians and personal heroes like David Ellefson, Alex Skolnick and Mike Portnoy, as well as Metal Allegiance founder Mark Menghi. These guys wrote an amazing and diverse record that is 100% pure metal, and lined up some killer guest vocalists and lead guitarists to bring it home in an epic, shredding fashion – just the leads on this record alone will blow people away! Perhaps the coolest part of all is that unlike similar projects in the past that existed as studio-only creations, Metal Allegiance were a touring entity first and have now organically evolved into a studio band that makes albums. I am very grateful to these guys for choosing me and the Nuclear Blast team as the vehicle to bring their music to the metal masses.”
Nine original songs have been written for the album, and yes, this is the project Portnoy had been teasing for months.
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