Supergroup Axe Dragger to Release Debut Album in March
We love a supergroup, especially when the musicians participating are actually… super? Like Axe Dragger, which is a new mega band comprised of current Dark Funeral and Fu Manchu members, as well as former members of Pantera and Pentagram. Yowza.
Axe Dragger is set to release their self-titled debut record on March 6, 2026 via Ripple Music, and you can watch the official lyric video for its title track (which obviously is just named after them), below.
The band started as a long distance collaboration relationship between Bob Balch (Fu Manchu, Slower) and drummer Pete Campbell (ex-Pentagram), before Terry Glaze (ex-Pantera) took over on vocals and Fredrik Isaksson (Dark Funeral) nabbed bass.
Balch said this about the title track:
“‘Axe Dragger’ was the first song we wrote. 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. 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. 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 riffs on this song were inspired by the early ’80s metal records I grew up on — Judas Priest, Riot, Maiden, Dio, etc., etc. Hope you dig it!”
Campbell then added:
“This was the first track Bob sent me for the project. At first listen, I was like, ‘Okay… I see where this is going.’ I laid down my drum tracks and sent it back. He told me Terry was interested in doing some vocals, and I was stoked. When we got Terry’s vocals back, I knew right away we were onto something — and ten songs later, we had a whole record. Fredrik’s bass playing is ungodly, and he’s the perfect man for the job. Bob is a freakin’ riff machine — such an honor to jam with. I’m super excited for people to hear this band. Proud of the music and the guys involved. Hail metal!”
Axe Dragger’s debut was mixed by Brian Scheuble (Mötley Crüe, Whitesnake, Stone Temple Pilots, Nine Inch Nails) and mastered by Dave Collins (Metallica, Soundgarden). Vinyl and CD mastering by Carl Saff handled vinyl and CD mastering.
Axe Dragger tracklist:
- Axe Dragger
- Give You The Rope
- Fight Another Day
- Iron Rider
- Eat Me From The Inside
- Shock ‘Em Dead
- El Toro
- The Damned Will Cry
- Fire In The Madhouse
- Death Is Calling My Name
Axe Dragger artwork:
