LAST IN LINE parts ways with singer ANDREW FREEMAN
08-04-2026
LAST IN LINE, the band formed by original DIO members Vivian Campbell (guitar) and Vinny Appice (drums), has parted ways with singer Andrew Freeman.
Freeman was an original member of LAST IN LINE, which he formed in 2012 with Appice, Campbell and bassist Jimmy Bain — Ronnie James Dio‘s co-conspirators and co-writers on the “Holy Diver”, “Last In Line” and “Sacred Heart” albums. LAST IN LINE‘s initial intent was to celebrate Ronnie James Dio‘s early work by reuniting the members of the original DIO lineup. After playing shows that featured a setlist composed exclusively of material from the first three DIO albums, the band decided to move forward and create new music in a similar vein.
The news of Freeman‘s departure from LAST IN LINE was shared by Appice in a new interview with the Denim And Leather rock and metal podcast. Speaking about LAST IN LINE‘s current status, Vinny said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “We’re looking for a singer for LAST IN LINE. So, Phil [Soussan, current LAST IN LINE bassist], Vivian and myself, we’re on the lookout and listening to different singers.”
Asked if there are plans for LAST IN LINE to record a new album as the follow-up to “Jericho”, which came out in March 2023 via earMUSIC, Vinny said: “Yeah. We have a deal in place with earMUSIC, but we’re making this change. And we’re gonna wait until we settle down with a new singer and write some stuff and then record it. And then do some dates.”
Vinny first brought up the fact that LAST IN LINE was looking for a new vocalist during a March 25 appearance on SiriusXM‘s “Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk”. He stated at the time about LAST IN LINE‘s current status: “We parted ways with Andy Freeman, the singer, and we’re looking for singers, actually, right now. So we have a deal in place. And Viv‘s busy — he was busy with [DEF] LEPPARD and he’s doing a lot of rally racing, so we’re trying to schedule finishing our next record and then playing some dates. ‘Cause we have a lot of fun playing. It’s great to play with Viv again. It’s awesome. So that’s what we’re doing right now.”
After “Trunk Nation” host Eddie Trunk brought up the fact that Freeman is busy playing with “a couple of tribute bands”, Vinny said: “He’s playing a Dio show [with a band called] DIO RULES. He didn’t really wanna play that stuff with us, which is — go figure — and now he’s doing all Dio stuff. Crazy.”
Asked what happened between Freeman and the rest of LAST IN LINE to cause the singer’s departure, Vinny said: “Yeah, [there was] a lot of tension between us, and the last show, one of the last shows [we played], [at] the M3 [festival in Maryland], there were things he commented to the audience, and people were scratching their heads, going, ‘What’s up with that?’ He’s his own thing. So finally we just said, ‘It’d be a lot smoother to find another singer.’ So that’s what we’re doing.”
As for whether LAST IN LINE already has “any prospects” in mind as a potential replacement for Freeman, Appice said: “No, we don’t have any prospects. If you know anybody, you could text me, that might fit the bill. We’re gonna have to set something up. Maybe we can get some videos and stuff. Kind of like SKID ROW did — they set something up, and people are sending in videos, singing and all that. We have a couple of guys, but we’re waiting to see if that’s gonna work out. But we’ll see.”
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