Marc Hudson is stepping back from DRAGONFORCE. The singer who has fronted the British extreme power metal band since 2011 is withdrawing from recording and performing because of an ongoing problem with tinnitus, the band confirmed via social media on Saturday, September 19.
Replacing him is Alessio Garavello, who has covered for Hudson in DRAGONFORCE twice before — in 2016 and again in 2023 — and who was Hudson's vocal coach long before either of those stints. Garavello will handle the male vocals alongside frontwoman Alissa White-Gluz, whose arrival in the band was announced in May.
"Due to an ongoing issue with tinnitus, Marc Hudson is stepping back from DRAGONFORCE music duties for now including the forthcoming album and touring plans in 2026/2027," the statement read. Hudson is not leaving outright: the band say he stays involved behind the scenes, working with management on projects due to surface later this year.
The forthcoming album will use a dual-vocal format, and DRAGONFORCE say new songs start arriving next week.
Guitarist Herman Li framed the decision as a hearing-protection call rather than a departure. "For the last fifteen years, Marc has poured his heart into this band, and his voice has become such a huge part of who we are," he said. "Protecting his hearing isn't something we'd ever ask him to compromise on. We'd much rather have him healthy and with us for the long haul than push through now and risk that. He's still in the room with us every day, just wearing a different hat, and we wish him a speedy recovery."
Sam Totman said there was only ever one candidate. "Alessio has been part of our story longer than most people realize. He helped shape Marc's voice in the first place, so he understands these songs from the inside. But he's not here to be anyone but himself, and he brings his own warmth and energy to everything he sings. Hearing him on the new material has lit a real spark in all of us, and we think you're going to love him as much as we do."
Tinnitus is an occupational hazard in this line of work, and the list of musicians who have had to rebuild a career around it is long. Acting on it before it becomes permanent is the less common part of the story.
The timing is awkward in one respect. DRAGONFORCE begin their largest North American tour in more than two decades on November 13 at San Diego's Observatory — 22 cities with ENSIFERUM and RHAPSODY OF FIRE in support, taking in New York City's Palladium Times Square, Chicago's Riviera Theatre and the Wiltern in Los Angeles. Garavello goes in at the deep end.