While all of the articles about the reunion between Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose and guitarist Slash have focused on those two, as well as Duff McKagan, many were wondering who would make up the rest of the lineup. Eddie Trunk said he’d heard that current guitarist Richard Fortus would remain in the band. That appears to be the case, as Dead Daisies, the supergroup collective that included Fortus and GN’R keyboardist Dizzy Reed, announced that those two were leaving the band for a “momentous project in 2016.” While the press release doesn’t mention GN’R specifically, it doesn’t get much more momentous than that.
It’s not like The Dead Daisies don’t have a suitable replacement lined up, however. Whitesnake guitarist Doug Aldrich will be playing with them now. Currently, the band, which also includes former Motley Crue vocalist John Corabi, bassist Marco Mendoza, guitarist David Lowy and drummer Brian Tichy, are in the studio working on an album with producer Matti Frederiksen on the follow-up to last year’s Revolucion. Fortus spoke about his departure:
When we started speaking about finding someone to replace me, the first suggestion I had was Doug Aldrich. It doesn’t get any better than Doug in my book. I am so happy that he is able and willing to step in and take over. I think that it will elevate the band to the next level. Thanks to everyone that has supported the Daisies over the last couple of years. Stay tuned to see what they come up with next. I’m sure you won’t be disappointed!
Aldrich is also excited about joining the band
I’m very, very happy to join my friends Marco, Brian, John and David in the next chapter of The Dead Daisies,” proclaims Aldrich. “I love the band and I’m looking forward to getting busy on the new record. This band is bringing back a raw, back to the bones sound that a lot of groups go for but The Dead Daisies are looking to nail. At this point in time, we are looking to have a kick ass Rock ‘n Roll album in the can by spring 2016.
While some might bemoan the fact that it’s not Izzy Stradlin and Steven Adler, the original Appetite-era lineup, Reed has been with Guns N’ Roses since 1990, with Fortus having been in the band since 2001, so we’re looking at at least 41 years of heritage between the two members. The drummer still hasn’t been announced, but Eddie Trunk suggests that it’ll be Frank Ferrer, who’s been playing with them since 2006.
