Metal Allegiance Talk ‘Fallen Heroes’ EP, Loss of Rock Icons

As any rocker knows, it's been a particularly harrowing year as we've collectively endured the loss of too many rock and metal icons. With a great support system including fellow fans, musicians and more, the outpouring of love has been tremendous as we swallow the increasingly larger pill.

Metal Allegiance have turned these tragic events into a cause for celebration of these artists, tracking the Fallen Heroes EP in tribute to Lemmy Kilmister (Motorhead), Glenn Frey (The Eagles) and David Bowie. In our interview above, Alex Skolnick and Mark Menghi discuss tracking the EP and the impact each artist had on them and the rest of the music world.

The Fallen Heroes EP contains three cover songs: Motorhead's "Iron Fist" (with Mastodon's Troy Sanders on vocals); David Bowie's "Suffragette City" (with Death Angel's Mark Osegueda on vocals); and the Eagles' "Life in the Fast Lane" (with Arch Enemy's Alissa White-Gluz on vocals). When the release was announced, Menghi commented on each artist, stating, "Lemmy is God, Glenn is King and David is the Architect." We asked him to expand on this and explain how each artist inspired him throughout his career.

Skolnick and Menghi also discuss performing at Lemmy's memorial and riding that high of the celebration of Lem's life to learning onstage the following night that Bowie had passed. The EP was assembled literally overnight, laying down the instrumental portion of the songs without even having a singer in mind for each track.

Check out our chat with Metal Allegiance in the video above.

Fallen Heroes will be released on Aug. 12 through Nuclear Blast and pre-orders are available in bundle packages here and digitally through iTunes.

Catch Metal Allegiance performing Deep Purple's Made in Japan on Aug. 11 at St. Vitus in Brooklyn N.Y., presented by Loudwire. Tickets for the show can be purchased here with VIP options available here. The VIP package includes a meet and greet with Metal Allegiance, limited edition t-shirt, exclusive tour poster, VIP laminate and a general admission ticket.

Rockers We've Lost in 2016

Metal Allegiance on Covering Deep Purple's Made in Japan