Alissa White-Gluz launches new project Blue Medusa with debut single “Checkmate”
Blue Medusa, the new project of vocalist Alissa White-Gluz, formerly of Arch Enemy and The Agonist, have released their debut single “Checkmate”. The track arrived on March 20, 2026, accompanied by an official music video.
The song was written by White-Gluz alongside guitarists Alyssa Day (Mindscar, In Absentia) and Dani Sophia (ex-Lindemann), and mixed and mastered by Kile Odell. For live shows, the lineup will be rounded out by bassist Alicia Vigil (DragonForce, Vigil of War) and drummer Delaney Jaster (Stitched Up Heart). Musically, “Checkmate” fuses melodic death metal with heavy riffing and clean-sung choruses placed in deliberate contrast, drawing on the full breadth of White-Gluz’s vocal range.
The music video was co-directed by White-Gluz and Vicente Cordero of Industrialism Films, built around a chess game layered with allegory and symbolism. Blue Medusa was officially announced on March 8, 2026. No debut album has been announced yet. The band is set to appear at the US festivals Louder Than Life and Aftershock later this year.
