Ex-ARCH ENEMY Frontwoman ALISSA WHITE-GLUZ: 'It's Very Important To Trust Your Instinct When It Comes To Situations And People'

In a new interview with Moshpit Passion conducted at this past weekend's Rock Am Ring 2026 festival in Nürburgring, Germany, former ARCH ENEMY and current DRAGONFORCE and BLUE MEDUSA frontwoman Alissa White-Gluz was asked what she has learned about herself, the metal scene and dealing with expectations over the past years, particularly as it relates to her time with ARCH ENEMY. She responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think I've learned that I'm very resilient, and that it's very important to trust your instinct when it comes to situations and people. Because if you smother that instinct, you may end up regretting it. I feel like all of us have this sort of intuition to know when something is safe or not. And sometimes we don't listen to it because we're just, like, 'Well, I have to do this, I have to do that, be professional.' But I think it's important to listen to that. I also think that most musicians have this thing in their head, and I do too, that whatever you need to do for the music is what you have to do. If it means not eating, not having a family, not finishing your education, like, you gotta do it. You gotta get in the van. And I was like that for so long, and I still am to a certain point, but I really think it's important that there's a balance and that people realize that other things are important too. Like, your family is important. Your health is important. Your life is important. You are a human being. You're not just a product put out on a machine to make music. You're a human. And time with your family is something you can't get back later. There will always be more tours, but time with your family is not something that you can get back. I missed all my grandparents' funerals. I missed all my friends' weddings. I missed the birth of my nieces, nephews — I just missed all of that because I was always gone. And you can't get it back. So I think it's important to remember that even though music is our lives, and it's so important, you have to respect yourself on a human level also."

In addition to White-Gluz, BLUE MEDUSA features guitarists Alyssa Day (MINDSCAR, ABSENTIA) and Dani Sophia (ex-Till Lindemann). Bassist Alicia Vigil (DRAGONFORCE, VIGIL OF WAR) and drummer Delaney Jaster (STITCHED UP HEART) will also take part in BLUE MEDUSA's live shows.

BLUE MEDUSA will appear at major U.S. festivals this year, including Louder Than Life and Aftershock.

White-Gluz, former vocalist of Canadian extreme metallers THE AGONIST, joined ARCH ENEMY in 2014 as the replacement for Angela Gossow. Angela, who joined ARCH ENEMY in 2000 and made her debut on the now-classic "Wages Of Sin" (2001),stepped down as frontwoman and is now focusing on management, while Alissa took her place.

ARCH ENEMY released four studio albums with White-Gluz on vocals: "War Eternal" (2014),"Will To Power" (2017),"Deceivers" (2022) and "Blood Dynasty" (2025).

Throughout her career, the now-40-year-old Alissa has consistently used her music as a vehicle for social change, addressing pressing issues such as environmental conservation, veganism, and the ethical treatment of animals.

ARCH ENEMY played its final show with White-Gluz at the closing concert of the band's European "Blood Dynasty" 2025 tour with AMORPHIS, ELUVEITIE and GATECREEPER on November 15, 2025 in Düsseldorf, Germany.

Alissa's addition to DRAGONFORCE was announced in early May. She made her live debut with the band on May 9 at the Welcome To Rockville festival.

In a recent interview with Local Band Smokeout, White-Gluz was asked if her 2025 collaboration with DRAGONFORCE on an alternate version of their track "Burning Heart" was what ultimately led to her joining the band as a full-fledged member. She responded: "Kind of. I think we all kind of agreed that we got a really good vibe from working together, and that the music could be really cool to combine everything that DRAGONFORCE is known for and what I'm known for, and play on our strengths. And I think we just weren't sure if we could really do it. And I think in life you're never really ready to do something; you just have to do it and then figure it out. And so we were, like, 'You know what? It's now or never. Let's just do it. Let's just jump into this and make it happen.' And so we did. And so we've been working, yeah, for a while, actually, just to get prepared to be able to perform these shows together, and also working on new music."