Blue Medusa, the new band led by ex-Arch Enemy singer Alissa White-Gluz, have debuted with the thunderously heavy single Checkmate.
The new track, which drops today (March 20), follows the announcement of the band’s formation on March 8, International Women’s Day. Guitarists Alyssa Day and Dani Sophia round out the lineup. Listen to the new song below and watch the video, co-directed by White-Gluz and Vicente Cordero
White-Gluz says of Checkmate: “This is a song where everything just clicked. Checkmate is an extremely cathartic song for me. It was created in one of those flow states where the lyrics and melodies and rhythms just write themselves and you get the feeling that you're onto something powerful.”
She adds that, despite the track’s heaviness, it’s actually “probably the lightest of what we have cooking in terms of sound”. “I’m so happy to see so much support for Blue Medusa already,” she continues. “Fans can look forward to more dark, heavy, brutal and haunting music very soon.”
White-Gluz was the singer of Arch Enemy for 11 years before parting ways with them last November. The band commented, “We’re thankful for the time and music we’ve shared and wish her all the best,” while the vocalist said in her own statement, “I am forever thankful to the thousands of amazing fans I have met along the way.”
She spoke further about her decision to step down during an interview with Metal Hammer Germany last month, where she said she couldn’t treat music “like just another day at the office”.
White-Gluz released her debut solo single, The Room Where She Died, under the mononym Alissa on November 23, the same day her Arch Enemy exit was announced. The music was written by Kamelot keyboardist Oliver Palotai, while White-Gluz performed, recorded and wrote all the vocal parts for the track.
The singer first revealed that she was working with Day and Sophia in the aforementioned Metal Hammer Germany interview. “So far the music we are making together is exactly what I have always wanted,” she said. “I feel like they both have such unique playing styles that complement each other to make our collaborative work super heavy, energetic, catchy and evocative at the same time.
“I really couldn’t be happier and more honoured to be working alongside such talented and inspiring musicians. Fans will not have to wait long at all to hear and see what we have been up to.”
While White-Gluz launches her own band, Arch Enemy are continuing with new singer Lauren Hart, formerly of Once Human and Divine Heresy. The band released their first single with Hart, To The Last Breath, last month and will tour Asia from March to April before hitting the European festival circuit in the summer. They also have two intimate UK shows booked for August.
