'80s Heavy Metal Icon Releases New Band Music for the First Time in 17 Years

Former Pantera member Terry Glaze is ending the year with a surprising treat for fans.

As the festivities kick in this holiday season, the music icon has confirmed his return with a new supergroup, Axe Dragger.

According to THEPRP News, the band consists of veteran musicians from different metal and hard rock groups, which includes Dark Funeral‘s Fredrik Isaksson on bass, Bob Balch of Fu Manchu on guitars, former Pentagram drummer Pete Campbell and, of course, Glaze on vocals.

Signed to the California-based independent label Ripple Music, the band not only made their debut but also released their self-titled single on Dec. 18.

Fans on social media swooned over the track “Axe Dragger,” especially for the frontman’s remarkable vocal range.

“This is such a great song. Terry sounds amazing. That chorus smokes,” one wrote.

“Terry Glaze still sounds fantastic! His voice reminds me of Ronny Munroe,” another echoed.

“Wow, this is really good. Rare with modern metal, the production doesn’t annoy me, drums have a live vibe, well mixed, and Terry has kept his range. It’s great to see new stuff like this,” a commenter added.

In a YouTube post shared by the record label, the Axe Dragger members revealed the inspiration behind their new song.

“‘Axe Dragger’ was the first song we wrote,” Balch shared, adding, “When ex-PENTAGRAM drummer Minnesota Pete Campbell reached out to me about collaborating on a metal record, those riffs came out of me moments later. The song pretty much wrote itself.”

Moreover, the guitarist highlighted Glaze’s expertise and expressed how thrilled they were for his involvement in the song.

“I thought Terry Glaze (ex-PANTERA) would sound great on it, so we sent it over to him. When we both heard the vocals and lyrics, we knew we had something special. I mean—he sings the words “heavy metal” in the first verse! Haha,” he added.

Basically, Axe Dragger’s debut song has inspired them to create an entire album and helped finalize the band’s lineup.

“That song lit a fire under all of us and ended up spawning the entire record. Pete then mentioned bringing in Fredrik Isaksson from Dark Funeral on bass. Fredrik absolutely killed it on that track, and at that point the lineup was solidified,” the former Fu Manchu member said.

With the first song out in the open, the new supergroup is scheduled to release their self-titled debut album on March 6.

“Axe Dragger” is Glaze’s first band release in 17 years, following the 2008 track “Porn Again” with Lord Tracy.

Prior to this, he cemented his name in the heavy metal music scene in the ‘80s as one of the founding members of the iconic group Pantera alongside late drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott, the late guitarist Dimebag Darrell Abbott, Tommy Bradford and Donnie Hart.

After leaving Pantera, Glaze formed Lord Tracy in 1986, which later disbanded in 1991. Despite the band’s breakup, they managed to reunite and perform a series of reunion shows in the early 2000s, which led to the release of new songs and videos.

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In 2017, Glaze revived his solo career with the release of his track “Find Me a Woman,” marking his first widely released solo work in decades. This was followed by another song release in 2018, “Like a Snake.”

Before joining Axe Dragger, he released his most recent solo single, “Psyche,” in 2023.

Related: Iconic ‘80s Heavy Metal Band Delivers Unexpected Christmas Treat