And I think while the four of us were writing the tunes - me, Mark, Dave Ellefson and Mike Portnoy - we were discussing certain types of voices but we never specifically decided on a specific voice until after the songs were completed and we had a chance to talk to people that we had in mind to sing them. A few days later, they mentioned the idea of writing and working on some original tunes and then it just went so well, it happened really fast. Regarding how the songs on METAL ALLEGIANCE's debut album came together, Skolnick told The Rockpit: 'For me it all started with MotörBoat, that official gig, because TESTAMENT was on the ship too and I was brought on board as a special guest for METAL ALLEGIANCE and we just hit if off. The four writers then reached out through their metal rolodexes to a diverse lineup of performers, each adding their own personal musical stamp to the songs. Stemming from an initial idea in 2011, METAL ALLEGIANCE was born as a way to unite a collection of hard rock and heavy metal's most notable musicians in a setting born under one ideal, a love of music and performing.īrought together by METAL ALLEGIANCE principal partner Mark Menghi, the project's original material came together from the creative minds of Portnoy, Skolnick and ex- MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson, alongside Menghi. In METAL ALLEGIANCE fashion, an all-star lineup performed in Rio De Janeiro, including core members Mike Portnoy (ex- DREAM THEATER) and Alex Skolnick (TESTAMENT),as well as Phil Demmel ( VIO-LENCE, ex- MACHINE HEAD), Jack Gibson ( EXODUS), Chuck Billy ( TESTAMENT) and John Bush ( ARMORED SAINT, ex- ANTHRAX). The band's setlist included music from METAL ALLEGIANCE's self-titled album, 'Fallen Heroes' EP and 'Volume II - Power Drunk Majesty', as well as a special batch of ANTHRAX and TESTAMENT covers picked just for this show. METAL ALLEGIANCE performed last night (Friday, September 2) at the Rock In Rio festival in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.

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