New KINGDOM COME Lineup To Debut Fresh Music At This Month's Shows

New KINGDOM COME vocalist Ezekiel "Zeke" Kaplan spoke to Big Talk Nation about how he landed the gig in the long-running rock band. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "In December, around Christmas of last year, I was reached out to by somebody I know who happens to know a couple of the KINGDOM COME guys. And I guess they were looking for a new vocalist and he knew that I sang and he thought that I was a great fit. So he reached out to me. And then kind of on the spot the next day, he scheduled an impromptu audition with the manager and the members of KINGDOM COME. And I kind of had to learn 'Get It On' on the spot. And we jammed, we did a few tunes, and then shortly after that, I was reached out to, and they were, like, "Hey, there's all these songs that we want you to learn. And we think that you're our guy.' And it just kind of went from there. My first show with them was in March of this year."

Kaplan went on to say that he was "familiar" with KINGDOM COME "from a working at record stores for a long time. I remember filing their records and really cool font on the cover of the LP," he explained. "And I knew that those first two records were classics. I had heard the singles. I wasn't familiar with the whole albums. So I really acquainted myself with all the music within those weeks that I was prepping for these shows, and I learned that it's really, really cool, original classic rock-sounding stuff at a time when everyone was really cheesy, and they were kind of just very blues-oriented. And I really dug it, and it really it matched my voice a lot. I grew up singing a lot of classic rock, a lot of Roger Daltrey [THE WHO] and Robert Plant [LED ZEPPELIN] and all of that stuff. So I was able to hit those notes that are insanely difficult, honestly. [Original KINGDOM COME singer] Lenny Wolf is probably the most difficult vocalist I've ever had to sing. His range goes way beyond Plant, honestly. But — I don't know. I think I'm doing an okay job."

The new lineup of KINGDOM COME — featuring original guitarists Danny Stag and Rick Steier, and bassist Johnny B. Frank, along with the band's latest additions, Kaplan and drummer Matt Muckle — played its first two shows on March 15 at The Lamp Theater in Irwin, Pennsylvania and on March 16 at The Mercury Music Lounge in Lakewood, Ohio.

Regarding the response from KINGDOM COME fans to his first two gigs with the band, Kaplan said: "I have had really, really great feedback. I'm very happy with the feedback. There's been a lot of YouTube videos on the return of KINGDOM COME. And I've been reached out to a lot saying that this is the best that the band has sounded since the olden days with Lenny. So, certainly, it's a good ego boost. [Laughs] I'm very proud of what we have accomplished and how we sound after only a number of months of rehearsals and kind of really quickly getting the ball rolling."

Zeke added that KINGDOM COME has been working on new music, with tentative plans to premiere it when the band returns to the road later this month.

"So we pretty quickly went into the studio," he said. "There's some songs that Danny Stag and J.B. Frank wrote back in the day that they were planning on making KINGDOM COME material and it just didn't come to fruition. And we went back to the studio and worked on that stuff, kind of reworked it for a more modern sound, and I laid down the vocals for some of those tracks just very recently. And we're very excited to actually premiere them hopefully [in September] — that's the plan — at a show that we have planned."

Upcoming KINGDOM COME shows:

Sep. 18 - Buffalo, NY @ Iron Works
Sep. 19 - Columbus, OH @ Skully's
Sep. 21 - Belle Vernon, PA @ Vinoski Winery

In a February 2024 interview with "The Pennsylvania Rock Show", Muckle stated about KINGDOM COME's current formation: "We started rehearsing back in August in search of a new frontman. And we auditioned a bunch of guys and we found some great singers and maybe some that weren't so great. So we've been working a little bit to get this up and going, and so we found a new guy. He's amazing. His name is Zeke Kaplan, and he's from L.A. A 29-year-old kid, man. He's like [ex-MÖTLEY CRÜE singer] John Corabi on 'Hooligan's Holiday' meets [CINDERELLA's] Tom Keifer and he plays rhythm guitar. He's just an animal. And no one will ever replace Lenny, 'cause he was the best singer, to me, as a kid. When I had KINGDOM COME posters on my walls, I just knew he was special, man. I knew that dude was no joke. I think he's one of the best rock singers that ever walked on stage, in my opinion. But this new dude is killing it. We're super excited. And, yeah, we're ready to go play some shows do some touring."

In February, singer Keith St John announced his departure from KINGDOM COME after a five-year run with the band.

St John joined KINGDOM COME in 2018 after Wolf opted not to be involved in the group's reunion alongside drummer James Kottak, Stag, Steier and Frank.

St John's exit from KINGDOM COME came just a month after Kottak died at the age of 61.

Earlier in February, Stag, Steier and Frank launched a new web site at kingdomcomerockband.com where they revealed that they would carry on under the KINGDOM COME banner with the addition of Kaplan and Muckle.

Regarding the split with St John, KINGDOM COME wrote: "KINGDOM COME has decided to part ways with vocalist Keith St John in order to allow him to devote more time to BURNING RAIN, 'Raiding The Rock Vault', and his solo projects. We sincerely wish him only the best, and thank him for his invaluable contributions to getting KINGDOM COME back up and running again in 2018."

Kottak, who was open about his battle with alcoholism, died on January 9. No cause of death has been given.

KINGDOM COME had used a different drummer, SLAUGHTER's Blas Elias, instead of James for most of the band's shows in the last year and a half due to Kottak's deteriorating health.

KINGDOM COME's most recent touring lineup consisted of St John and Elias alongside Stag, Steier and Frank.

Kottak's daughter Tobi told TMZ her father passed away in Louisville, where he lived until 1987, although further details about the exact circumstances weren't immediately available.

In addition to SCORPIONS and KINGDOM COME, Kottak had toured with such bands as WARRANT and even DIO for a short run. James was also involved in various other projects, including the 1990s band KRUNK in which he sang lead vocals and played guitar.

Kottak was married to Athena Lee, the sister of MÖTLEY CRÜE drummer Tommy Lee, from 1996 to 2010.