Kill Devil Hill have announced the departure of drummer Vinny Appice, who co-founded the band in 2011 with ex Pantera bassist Rex Brown and appeared on their first two albums.
The sticksman has decided it’s time to focus on other things – including a new record by his Dio offshoot band Last In Line.
Appice says in a statement, “It’s been a great musical adventure from the beginning, but the time has now come to go our separate ways and continue to make music that we love.”
Brown comments, “We all have a lot of love and respect for Vinny. We wish him well – it’s been a blast.”
The band’s new drummer is Johnny Kelly, known for stints with Type O Negative, Danzig and A Pale Horse Named Death, admits: “I have some really big shoes to full, but I’m ready for that challenge. I’ve been a fan since their debut and I’ve known the guys for a long time.”
Last In Line, featuring original Dio men Vivian Campbell, Jimmy Bain, Claude Schnell and Appice alongside vocalist Andrew Freeman, will start studio work next month.
Def Leppard guitarist Campbell last week admitted he’d resisted the idea of making new music at first. He told Tickets There, “It became apparent that for Last In Line to move forward, that’s what we needed to do. We got into the studio in January and started writing, just Jimmy, Vinny and myself. It was so effortless – it just fell out of us like it did on the first record, Holy Diver.”
source: classicrockmagazine.com
7 Responses
Wow Campbell was estranged from Dio for decades but now is using that connection/band to build a new project around? People are strange.
I hope they change there name. Last in line to me is just a crutch name so people will listen. They should pick a non Dio name. If the music good I will listen but not because of who is in the band or because of the name,
Was never a fan of KDH. If Last in Line can put together another album or more, then wow! Dying to hear it. Maybe Vivian can redeem himself after the whole Def Leppard thing. 🙂
Vinny follows the dollar. This Dio tribute band will clog up their careers with half ass no Ronnie James Dio onstage tunes. Try a new name and tunes.
I don’t think this is cool at all.