Damian Wilson has been officially announced as the replacement of Paul Manzi and he is the new singer of legendary neo-proggers Arena. Wilson is the band’s fifth lead vocalist since Arena was formed in 1995. He is mostly known in the progressive metal genre, as the lead singer of Headspace and (formerly) Threshold. He also sang and toured with bands and projects such as for Star One, Ayreon, Landmarq, Praying Mantis and with Rick Wakeman’s English Rock Ensemble. As a solo artist he has released 5 solo albums, a DVD and a retrospective compilation album. He has appeared on over 70 separate album releases.
Arena released a statement: “We have great pleasure in welcoming Damian Wilson to the new Arena line up. Most people will already know him as a fantastic singer, and there is no doubt he will bring something special and original to the band.
We have known Damian for about 25 years, and the idea of him singing for Arena has, in fact, been a possibility in the past, but circumstances did not allow that to happen at the time. However, since Paul has now decided to move on, it would seem that we have come full circle, and the time is now right!
A few days ago we took the chance to take some new photos. Although we were ‘socially distanced’, a little photoshop can do wonders. Recording will start soon for the new album The Theory of Molecular Inheritance with Damian on vocals, but the release has been delayed due to the restrictions of the Corona Virus.
You can be sure that we will release our new album just as soon as we can.”
