VOLBEAT have released their new single "Die to Live," featuring guest vocals from MYLES KENNEDY of ALTER BRIDGE and SLASH's solo band, available on all streaming platforms as of Sunday, March 8. The collaboration brings together two of the rock and metal world's most distinctive vocal personalities — VOLBEAT frontman Michael Poulsen's gravelly, rockabilly-inflected delivery and Kennedy's soaring, gospel-influenced melodicism — in a way that the Danish band has described as "the most naturally exciting collaboration we've ever been involved in."
"Die to Live" is an anthemic, mid-tempo hard rock and metal track built around a massive chorus hook that showcases both vocalists at their most accessible and immediate. The production, handled by longstanding VOLBEAT collaborator Rob Caggiano (who also serves as the band's lead guitarist), delivers a polished arena rock sound that bridges the gap between the band's rockabilly and heavy metal identities. Kennedy's verse features some of the most emotionally direct lyrics he has sung in a collaboration context, with the song addressing themes of sacrifice, renewal, and the determination to survive adversity.
The release comes as VOLBEAT announce work on their ninth studio album, expected in early 2027 via Republic Records. "Die to Live" is the first taste of the new material, which Poulsen has described as "the most deliberately varied album we've ever attempted — touching everything from our heaviest material to our most pop-influenced moments." Kennedy's appearance on the track is his third collaboration with a major heavy metal or hard rock band in the past eighteen months, following guest spots on albums by DISTURBED and FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH.