Kingdom Come - Part Ways With Singer, New Lineup Announced
More than one month after the death of original drummer James Kottak, Kingdom Come recently announced on their official website that Matt Muckle is the band's new drummer and they have also replaced frontman Keith St. John with Ezekiel Kaplan as their singer. Under this new lineup, also featuring founding members Danny Stag and Rick Steier (both guitar) and Johnny B. Frank (bass), the band plans for 2024 include touring and a new album.
Regarding his departure, St. John explained: "I really loved every single moment on stage working with James and the guys for the last five years. I am so grateful for every time we took the stage together and created that pure magic that truly touched the stars. I want to say thank you to all the new fans and especially the older deep fans that accepted me and took me in!
"I brought my A-game to help James with his vision of getting Kingdom Come restarted and I can say I did my very best for the brand. But since James's recent passing, my head's been in a tailspin as we'd been friends for around 30 years and there was nothing more anyone could have done to help him to save himself. It's been such a tragic loss for all who he once touched with his superhuman talents. I will always miss him dearly. I was still pretty out of it and traveling the road when regrettably some recent communications hit me that made it obvious that it was time for the band and me to simply go our separate ways.
"Danny Stag, JB Frank and Rick Steier are truly timeless forces in the world of rock and roll and I hold those three gentlemen in the highest regards. We definitely played some of the most amazing kick-ass shows together.
"To my brothers in the Kingdom Come band that are carrying on with it, I wish for them the very best! To all those who are reading this, I will see you down the road apiece…and again, thanks to our fans that supported us on this journey."
Kingdom Come themselves also commented on the split: "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."
Regarding his departure, St. John explained: "I really loved every single moment on stage working with James and the guys for the last five years. I am so grateful for every time we took the stage together and created that pure magic that truly touched the stars. I want to say thank you to all the new fans and especially the older deep fans that accepted me and took me in!
"I brought my A-game to help James with his vision of getting Kingdom Come restarted and I can say I did my very best for the brand. But since James's recent passing, my head's been in a tailspin as we'd been friends for around 30 years and there was nothing more anyone could have done to help him to save himself. It's been such a tragic loss for all who he once touched with his superhuman talents. I will always miss him dearly. I was still pretty out of it and traveling the road when regrettably some recent communications hit me that made it obvious that it was time for the band and me to simply go our separate ways.
"Danny Stag, JB Frank and Rick Steier are truly timeless forces in the world of rock and roll and I hold those three gentlemen in the highest regards. We definitely played some of the most amazing kick-ass shows together.
"To my brothers in the Kingdom Come band that are carrying on with it, I wish for them the very best! To all those who are reading this, I will see you down the road apiece…and again, thanks to our fans that supported us on this journey."
Kingdom Come themselves also commented on the split: "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."
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