Hard to believe it’s been almost a year since Dallas Coyle and God Forbid parted ways, but there ya have it. And a lot of God Forbid fans – including this one – were wondering who was gonna take Dallas’ spot in the band. Former Himsa guitarist Matt Wicklund has been doing live shows with the group since last summer’s Mayhem Fest, and the rumors have been swirling that he was taking the job pretty much ever since -  a couple of readers e-mailed us to say that Wicklund was introduced as “our new guitar player” on-stage, and earlier this month he tweeted that he was “Getting ready to go to rehearsal!”, although rehearsal for what was left kinda-sorta vague.

Well, the rumors are no longer rumors: Wicklund is, in fact, the new full-time guitarist for God Forbid. A statement from Doc Coyle reads as follows:

“This past fall and winter has been a refocusing period on a personal and business level for God Forbid figuring what the next phase of this band will be. Another announcement is that Matt Wicklund is our new guitar player. He relocated to New Jersey and immediately started contributing new material. Along with being a great guy, he fit in with all of us really well, and it seemed like a no brainer. It’s hard to say what the new material will be like, but so far I can say it’s going to be very hook oriented, and obviously without Dallas, it will have a different vibe. Matt and I have very similar musical tastes, but he comes from a more trained background in theory which should create an interesting dynamic. He is also a very good lead guitar player, so there will probably be more solos. As soon as we do a new photo shoot, we will update all of our websites with Matt. We’ll see you on tour!”

Wicklund, who has also played with Warrel Dane, is obviously a really talented guy, and if someone has to replace Dallas, we’re glad it’s such an able-bodied guitarist. Welcome to the God Forbid family, Matt!

God Forbid are about to hit the road with Five Finger Death Punch, Shadows Fall and 2Cents, stepping in after Throwdown had to drop off the tour for a family emergency. It’s no secret that we’re not exactly FFDP fans around here, but God Forbid and Shadows Fall on the same bill should be enough to make the ticket more than worth the price. And you can leave early and beat traffic! Get tour dates here. Go out and give Mr. Wicklund a warm welcome.

And in the meantime, here’s “Skinwalkers,” from what ended up being Himsa’s last album, Summon in Thunder. I love this song, and it makes me really excited to see what Wicklund brings to the God Forbid table.

-AR

[via Metal Underground]