Ripple Music has announced the signing of American heavy metal supergroup Axe Dragger featuring original Pantera vocalist Terry Glaze, guitarist Bob Balch (Fu Manchu, Slower, etc.), Dark Funeral bassist Fredrik Isaksson, and former Pentagram drummer Pete Campbell. The band will release their self-titled debut album in spring 2026, and I am absolutely thrilled to premiere the first-ever Axe Dragger song below. It rules and man, Glaze can belt it out.
Axe Dragger began as a long-distance collaboration between Balch and drummer Campbell. The two started trading riffs and drum ideas remotely, gradually building a foundation that quickly evolved into something bigger. The project took a major leap forward when Glaze and Isaksson joined the lineup; and then over the course of a year, the quartet refined their sound song by song.
Balch explained how the project took shape: “I’d been in touch with drummer Pete Campbell for a while about trading riffs, drum beats, and ideas. I’ve also been teaching a student over FaceTime for a couple of years who wants to learn old Riot, Judas Priest, and Dio—and that really lit a fire under me to start writing an old-school heavy metal project.
“So Pete and I started sending riffs and beats back and forth, and once we had a few solid tunes, we brought in vocalist Terry Glaze and bassist Fredrik Isaksson. The first song Terry sent back was ‘Axe Dragger,’ and Pete and I completely lost our minds. From there, we were all fired up, and over the course of a year, we put together this record. It’s a pure reflection of early ’80s heavy metal—and I hope you dig it. For the guitar geeks out there, this record is loaded with harmonic minor modes à la Powerslave-era Iron Maiden!”
Axe Dragger (the album) was mixed by Brian Scheuble (Mötley Crüe, Whitesnake, Stone Temple Pilots, Nine Inch Nails) and mastered by Dave Collins (Metallica, Soundgarden), with vinyl and CD mastering by Carl Saff, album artwork by Seldon Hunt and press photo by John McGill. Pre-orders are available here (and here in Europe, and here on Bandcamp).
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