SKID ROW Bassist On New Singer ZP THEART: 'He Brought This Excitement To The Band That We Haven't Had For Quite Some Time'

Rachel Bolan says that ZP Theart has brought an "excitement" to SKID ROW that the band hadn't had "for quite some time."

The South African-born, British-based Theart was in DRAGONFORCE, TANK and I AM I before playing his first gig as SKID ROW's vocalist more than two years ago.

Speaking to U.K.'s TotalRock Radio, Bolan stated about ZP (see video below): "He's a very talented singer and a great frontman. It's funny — when he first came over to the States to sing and we were just all getting together — 'cause him and I and Rob [Hammersmith, drums] had been friends for a few years at that point — but when he first came over to sing, it was so effortless. He's 10 years younger than us, and he kind of grew up listening to us. He's from South Africa, and him and his friends had to sneak and play our records, because they were deemed offensive [laughs], which is really funny."

The bassist continued: "Yeah, he came over and he was more than prepared and just blew us away. And then, when we toured for a year together and when it was official [that he was our new singer], our stock went up and everything started getting better and better. And he brought this excitement to the band that we haven't had for quite some time. And now we just can't wait to get out on stage every night. If we're off for a couple of days, its, like, 'Ahhh… When do we get back out there? It's so much fun.'"

Theart stepped into the group following the departure of Tony Harnell, the former TNT frontman who joined SKID ROW in April 2015 as the replacement for Johnny Solinger, the band's singer of 15 years.

SKID ROW is preparing to record the final installment of its "United World Rebellion" trilogy for a tentative 2019 release. The effort will feature collaborations with several outside songwriters, including Corey Taylor (SLIPKNOT, STONE SOUR) and HALESTORM's Lzzy Hale and Joe Hottinger.

SKID ROW's new album — which, unlike the first two chapters of the "United World Rebellion" trilogy, will be a full-length recording — will see the band reunited with famed rock/metal producer Michael Wagener, who worked on SKID ROW's first two albums, 1989's "Skid Row" and 1991's "Slave To The Grind", as well as 2006's "Revolutions Per Minute".