LAST IN LINE appear to be closing in on the vocalist who will lead the band into their next chapter, with bassist Phil Soussan revealing that the search for a replacement for longtime frontman Andrew Freeman is looking โvery, very promisingโ.
Looks like the empty microphone might not be empty for much longer.
LAST IN LINE have spent much of 2026 searching for a new singer following the departure of Andrew Freeman, but bassist Phil Soussan has now offered perhaps the strongest indication yet that the band have found the person they want.
Nobodyโs naming names just yet.
Naturally.
Because where would the fun be in that?
But Soussan sounds decidedly optimistic about the mystery vocalist and the possibility of LAST IN LINE finally moving forward again.
๐ค A New Voice For LAST IN LINE
Replacing Freeman isnโt simply a case of finding somebody who can hit a few enormous notes.
LAST IN LINE occupy a particularly tricky musical space.
The band originally formed around musicians who helped create the classic early DIO albums, meaning any vocalist walking into the job inevitably finds themselves standing somewhere in the enormous shadow of Ronnie James Dio.
No pressure, then.
But LAST IN LINE also stopped being merely a vehicle for revisiting old DIO material years ago.
They became a proper recording band with their own songs, their own albums and their own musical identity.
Whoever takes over needs to respect both sides of that history.
๐ค Phil Soussan Sounds Confident
Soussan has previously revealed that the band had been working remotely with a singer they were particularly interested in, with an in-person session expected to determine whether everything clicked properly.
Now his latest comments suggest things have moved in a very positive direction.
According to Soussan, it looks โvery, very promisingโ that LAST IN LINE have found their new frontman.
Still no official announcement.
Still no name.
But we appear to have progressed considerably beyond:
โDoes anyone know a decent singer?โ
Thatโs generally useful.
๐ธ Vivian Campbell And Vinny Appice Remain At The Heart Of The Band
LAST IN LINEโs roots stretch back to 2012, when former DIO musicians Vivian Campbell, Vinny Appice and Jimmy Bain reunited to perform material from the records they had originally created with Ronnie James Dio.
Singer Andrew Freeman was brought in to handle the thoroughly unenviable vocal position.
And somehow it worked.
The early shows concentrated heavily on those classic DIO records, particularly material from Holy Diver, The Last In Line and Sacred Heart.
Pretty reasonable collection of tunes to have knocking around the rehearsal room.
Eventually, though, the musicians realised there was more potential in the project than simply revisiting the past.
New songs followed.
And LAST IN LINE became its own beast.
๐ฟ Three Albums Of Original Material
The band released its debut album Heavy Crown in 2016.
Tragically, bassist Jimmy Bain died shortly before the albumโs release, leaving the group facing an enormous decision about whether to continue.
Phil Soussan subsequently joined on bass, bringing with him a serious hard-rock pedigree of his own.
Heโd previously played with Ozzy Osbourne, famously co-writing Shot In The Dark, alongside a career involving an impressive list of rock musicians and projects.
LAST IN LINE carried on.
II followed in 2019.
Then came Jericho in 2023.
By that point, the band had long since proved it wasnโt surviving purely on DIO nostalgia.
๐ค Andrew Freemanโs Exit Opened A Difficult New Chapter
Freeman had been the voice of LAST IN LINE from the bandโs formation, making his eventual departure a substantial change.
His exit became public in 2026 after drummer Vinny Appice confirmed that the group was looking for another singer.
Freeman subsequently spoke openly about his side of the split, making it clear that the ending wasnโt exactly the traditional smiling press release where everyone wishes everybody else โthe very best in their future endeavoursโ.
Rock bands, eh?
Sometimes decades of distorted guitars are less complicated than one group email.
Either way, LAST IN LINE decided to move forward with a different vocalist.
And finding the right person was always going to take some care.
๐ฅ The New Singer Wonโt Just Be Doing Dio Karaoke
This is perhaps the most important thing about whoever eventually gets announced.
Yes, they need to sing DIO songs.
And thatโs an absurdly difficult job.
Ronnie James Dio possessed one of the greatest voices heavy metal has ever produced.
You cannot replace it.
Trying to find somebody whose sole purpose is impersonating Ronnie would probably be the wrong approach anyway.
LAST IN LINE need somebody with enough range and power to honour those songs while still having their own personality.
Because thereโs another album to think about.
๐ถ More LAST IN LINE Music Is Part Of The Plan
The band have already discussed continuing work towards a fourth studio album.
Material had been taking shape before Freemanโs departure, but bringing a new singer aboard naturally changes the creative equation.
And that might actually be exciting.
A different voice can completely alter where musicians take songs.
Melodies change.
Arrangements change.
Guitar parts suddenly work differently.
Ideas that previously went nowhere can unexpectedly spring to life.
Soussan himself has described the situation as a chance for a new chapter and progression.
Thatโs exactly what LAST IN LINE need.
Not somebody pretending nothing changed.
Somebody capable of making the change interesting.
๐ธ Vivian Campbell Has Another Rather Busy Day Job
Scheduling LAST IN LINE has never been particularly straightforward either.
Thereโs the small matter of guitarist Vivian Campbell also being a member of Def Leppard.
And Def Leppard donโt exactly play Tuesday nights down the Dog & Duck.
Their touring schedule involves arenas, stadiums, international travel and the kind of production where somebody probably needs a spreadsheet just to keep track of the trousers.
Campbell has also been through significant health challenges in recent years, making the ability to simply get everybody into the same room another factor in LAST IN LINEโs progress.
So once the singer situation is settled, fitting recording and live activity around everyoneโs commitments becomes the next puzzle.
๐ฅ Vinny Appice Still Brings That Classic Dio Power
And then thereโs Vinny Appice.
The drummer remains one of the direct links between LAST IN LINE and the classic Dio records that inspired the project in the first place.
His career stretches through Black Sabbath, Dio, Heaven & Hell and beyond.
That unmistakable heavy groove remains fundamental to LAST IN LINE.
Put Campbellโs guitar beside Appiceโs drums and thereโs an immediate musical DNA that goes straight back to the early โ80s.
Add Soussanโs bass and a new vocalist with something different to offer?
That could produce a very interesting record indeed.
๐ So Who Is The Mystery Singer?
Ah.
The question everybody wants answered.
We donโt bloody know yet.
And thatโs probably exactly how LAST IN LINE want it.
Until everything is finalised and the band officially announces their choice, throwing random singers into the rumour mill isnโt particularly useful.
There are plenty of brilliant rock vocalists capable of handling heavy material.
There are considerably fewer capable of walking into this specific situation and making it feel natural.
But Soussan sounding this confident suggests the band believes they may have found exactly that person.
Now we wait.
Impatiently.
๐ค THE RIFF REPORT VERDICT
LAST IN LINE could have easily disappeared following Andrew Freemanโs departure.
Instead, Vivian Campbell, Vinny Appice and Phil Soussan appear determined to turn the disruption into another chapter of the bandโs story.
That feels like the right approach.
Trying to recreate exactly what they already had wouldnโt be particularly interesting.
Find somebody powerful enough to honour the DIO catalogue, confident enough not to imitate Ronnie and creative enough to help shape new LAST IN LINE music?
Now youโre talking.
Phil Soussan says things look โvery, very promisingโ.
Weโll take that.
All we need now is the name.
Come on, lads.
Youโve teased us enough. Whoโs behind the bloody microphone? ๐ค๐ฅ๐ค
