More than twenty years into their career, DragonForce are facing a different kind of challenge: how do you move forward when one of the defining voices of your band has to step away?
The British power metal group have unveiled Neverending Nightmare, the second single from their forthcoming self-titled tenth album. Its official video premiered on 10 November, with the track reaching streaming platforms today, 12 November. But the bigger story is the lineup behind it: Alissa White-Gluz and Alessio Garavello now share lead vocal duties, signalling a substantial new chapter for a band famous for its relentless speed and technical guitar playing.
Two voices, a different DragonForce
White-Gluz, formerly of Arch Enemy, became DragonForce’s first permanent frontwoman earlier this year. Garavello, previously of Power Quest, joined the new vocal partnership after longtime singer Marc Hudson stepped back from recording and touring because of ongoing tinnitus.
Importantly, Hudson has not simply disappeared from the band’s story. DragonForce have said he remains involved behind the scenes with management while protecting his hearing. Garavello is also a familiar figure to the group, having previously coached Hudson’s vocals.
That background gives Neverending Nightmare more weight than a straightforward lineup showcase. Across more than six minutes, White-Gluz’s clean opening vocal gives way to heavier passages, contrasting voices and extended guitar solos from Herman Li and Sam Totman. The arrangement puts the new singers at the centre without losing the instrumental excess that has always been part of DragonForce’s identity.
Album number ten: looking back while moving forward
The band’s first self-titled album, DragonForce, arrives on 19 March 2027 through Napalm Records. Produced by Jens Bogren and recorded across the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Sweden, the record follows September’s first single, Hunger of the Beast.
There is a deliberate sense of reinvention in the campaign. The group have spoken about reconnecting with the raw energy of their earlier records while exploring what their expanded vocal palette can offer. That tension between familiarity and change may be the most interesting thing about the album: the speed is expected, but how the songs use two distinctive singers remains an open question.
Twenty years of Inhuman Rampage
The timing is particularly fitting. On 13 November, DragonForce launch a North American tour celebrating twenty years of Inhuman Rampage, the 2006 record that introduced countless listeners to Through the Fire and Flames. The tour will feature the album performed in full, alongside material from the next record.
UK audiences will get their turn in May 2027, with shows at O2 Forum Kentish Town, London (6 May), KK’s Steel Mill, Wolverhampton (7 May) and Manchester Academy (8 May).
For DragonForce, this is more than a new single and another anniversary tour. One part of the band’s history is being celebrated onstage while another is taking shape in the studio. Neverending Nightmare is our first extended glimpse of how those two eras might meet.
More from Imminent Infinity: For another major metal lineup change, read our report on Nightwish and Floor Jansen parting ways. And for more new heavy music, see Viscera’s upcoming album and guest vocalists.
Further information: DragonForce’s official single announcement and tour dates.
