Metal Allegiance – the band featuring Mark Menghi, David Ellefson (ex-Megadeth), Alex Skolnick (Testament), and Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater) – is set to potentially work on the follow-up to their 2018 album Volume II: Power Drunk Majesty sometime in 2025. According to Skolnick, there's no set plan as to if the new material will be a full-length album or an EP (or even a single), but the group is certainly thinking about it.
"Yes. We've been talking about it for some time," said Skolnick in a recent interview with RadioBypass. "It's always easier said than done, given everybody's schedules, but we're continuing to talk about it and I'm pretty sure that [2025] is the year we will get started on it. So I don't know what it's gonna look like, I don't know how it's going to compare to the past albums. Maybe we'll get our feet wet with an EP or a single — who knows? — but either way, we're gonna get started and see how it goes, probably later this [coming] year."
Given Metal Allegiance's penchant for lengthy guest lists on their material, it'll be great to see who they get on the new stuff. Volume II: Power Drunk Majesty featured everyone from vocalists like the late and great Trevor Strnad of The Black Dahlia Murder, Johan Hegg from Amon Amarth, Troy Sanders of Mastodon to guitarists like Joe Satriani, Nita Strauss, and Sepultura's Andreas Kisser.
Better yet, Metal Allegiance will reconvene at the House Of Blues in Anaheim, CA on January 23, 2025. The show will feature the core quartet alongside the following guests:
- Chuck Billy (Testament)
- Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth (Overkill)
- John Bush (Armored Saint)
- Doc Coyle (Bad Wolves, God Forbid)
- Brandon Ellis (The Black Dahlia Murder)
- Marty Friedman (ex-Megadeth)
- Gary Holt (Slayer, Exodus)
- Andreas Kisser (Sepultura)
- Jeff Loomis (ex-Arch Enemy, ex-Nevermore)
- Mark Tornillo (Accept)
- Angel Vivaldi
