Metal Blade Records has announced the signing of A-Z. A-Z (pronounced “A through Z”) equals Ray Alder (FATES WARNING; vocals) and Mark Zonder (ex-FATES WARNING, WARLORD; drums), and also means “anything is possible” — and with this lineup of musicians, that is no exaggeration. This exciting new band reunites Alder with Zonder, and they’re joined by Philip Bynoe (WARLORD, STEVE VAI, NUNO BETTENCOURT) on bass, Joop Wolters (STEVE WALSH, SIMON PHILLIPS) on guitar, and Vivien Lalu (STEVE WALSH, JORDAN RUDESS) on keys.

Zonder comments: “When we were looking for a deal, Metal Blade was number one on the list. First worked with Brian Slagel about 40 years with ‘Metal Massacre II’ and WARLORD. No question that they do a great job and we are very excited and proud to be back at MB.”

Musically, A-Z is melodic and progressive, bringing to mind the classic FATES WARNING-era of albums like “Parallels” and “Pleasant Shade Of Grey”, while recalling the hooks of classic 1970s and 1980s hard rock artists. The band’s upcoming debut will be the first time Alder and Zonder have recorded together since 2004, and it will surely please both FATES WARNING and melodic hard rock fans alike.

In the meantime, fans can check out a video signing message from A-Z and Metal Blade CEO/founder Brian Slagel below.

A-Z is:

Ray Alder – vocals
Mark Zonder -drums
Philip Bynoe – bass 
Joop Wolters – guitar 
Vivien Lalu – keys