BAD WOLVES played their first show with new singer Daniel "DL" Laskiewicz last night (Tuesday, March 1) at the House Of Blues in Anaheim, California as the support act for PAPA ROACH and HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD. Fan-filmed video of the concert can be seen below. Laskiewicz has carved out an impressive career for himself over the last 15-plus years, most notably as a founding member and lead guitarist of metalcore band THE ACACIA STRAIN, of which he was a member from 2001 to 2013. A talented songwriter and producer, he's also worked on projects with ALL THAT REMAINS, LEGION, FOR THE FALLEN DREAMS and collaborated with BAD WOLVES on their 2019 studio album "N.A.T.I.O.N.", where the creative relationship with the band started. BAD WOLVES' third album, "Dear Monsters", was released in October via Better Noise Music. It marked BAD WOLVES' first full-length release with Laskiewicz. BAD WOLVES broke the news of Laskiewicz's addition to the band via a statement on social media in June 2021. The group wrote: "DL is a tremendous songwriter and singer, and we can confidently say that 'Dear Monsters', is the best BAD WOLVES album to date. "DL is one of the most talented and hard-working people we have ever had the pleasure to know," the band added. "He is a team player, a creative force, and overall a great human being who fits perfectly with our BW family. It feels incredible to be surrounded with such positive energy and the music we've made is certainly reflective of this new-found optimism and collaborative spirit. This new album shows a more cohesive and unique reflection of the band. There is a lot to prove and expectations are high with a new singer coming in. And we nailed it. The songs speak for themselves, and if you're a BAD WOLVES fan, we know you won't be disappointed." BAD WOLVES broke through in 2018 with a cover of THE CRANBERRIES hit "Zombie". CRANBERRIES vocalist Dolores O'Riordan was supposed to contribute to the track but died the day she was supposed to go into the studio. Original BAD WOLVES singer Tommy Vext quit the band in January 2021. He announced his exit in a since-deleted Instagram Live video, insisting that he was forced out by his former bandmates and record label, Better Noise Music, over his conservative political views. The singer also announced plans to launch a solo career while claiming he wrote a significant portion of the new BAD WOLVES album. In the months leading up to his exit from BAD WOLVES, Vext — who is black — had been vocal about his support for former U.S. president Donald Trump while insisting he had never experienced racism in America and that it was all "manufactured." In June 2020, Vext posted a six-plus-minute video on Instagram in which he suggested, without evidence, that "Black Lives Matter" was created by people like George Soros, the Holocaust survivor and billionaire who is the subject of many right-wing conspiracy theories, along with the Clinton Foundation. He also offered up the debunked theory that they invest in "Black Lives Matter" to profit from media coverage. The singer said he made the video "after weeks of research & interviews with independent journalist(s), military personnel, entertainment industry professionals, a virologist & many ex Democrats." BAD WOLVES guitarist Doc Coyle later took to his social media to "apologize to anyone who was hurt" by Tommy's comments and to offer up his perspective on what he called a "distraction" from BAD WOLVES' message of "inclusion and positivity."
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