Three Days Grace drummer Neil Sanderson checks in as a regular contributor with an exclusive column here at Loudwire. In his latest entry, Neil gives us an update on a recent purchase, discusses the band touring in Europe and Russia and teases both future shows and the early stages of creativity for their next album. Plus, he also discusses the new "Fallen Angel Dedication Wall" page they've launched and shows his own dedication in the video below. Check out his latest column:

I love Daylight Savings. Cold beer on a patio with some NY strips on the grill, and it’s still light out. This time of year rules. Having just got back from a long winter tour, I’ve been super excited for a little downtime this spring. I even went out and treated myself to a new toy for cruising this summer. On the first warm sunny day up here in Ontario, Canada, I impulsively thought, “Maybe I’ll go out and just peruse some motorcycle shops.” Ninety minutes later, the Triumph Speedmaster was mine, and I named her “Black Betty.”

The tour in Europe and Russia was another amazing journey. This was our second headlining tour there and it was great to see how fast our fan base is growing so far from home. On our way to Russia, we played some countries we hadn’t been to before. We hit Riga, Latvia, and Kiev, Ukraine -- both of which were awesome rock shows! We had a really cool moment in Kazan when a young fan in the front row held up a huge sign that read, “My dream is to play with U on drums 'BREAK' please give me a chance.” It’s something we had never done before -- let a fan jump in on a song, but I figured he spent so much time on the damn sign that I’d give him a shot. I remember Barry looking at me like "This kid better not suck!!!” But he nailed it!

Another highlight for me was when I found out Slipknot was playing the night before our show in Moscow. I’m a big fan of the band and to see them play in front of a Russian crowd was amazing. Their new drummer Jay Weinberg (son of Max Weinberg - drummer for Springsteen, Conan O’Brien show), was absolutely phenomenal. Definitely a perfect fit for Slipknot. Now if that concert was a ‘highlight,’ I would say that the ‘lowlight’ of the tour was when someone (pretty sure it was Brad), suggested we go out for Sushi… in Glasgow, Scotland. That’s like going out for haggis and mutton chops in Tokyo, lol. Lo and behold we all got violently ill before the show, but we fought our way through it. I’m pretty sure I turned green for a little bit during the show!

Speaking of Japan, we have some shows coming up this summer on some US Marine bases overseas. It’s been about eight years since we’ve been there, and it’s a hell of a long flight, but last time they treated us like gold, and it’s always cool to rock for the troops, and be able to explore the other side of the planet. On the way back from Asia, we’re stopping in Hawaii to play a show at Pearl Harbor on July 4 … totally a once-in-a-lifetime … that’ll be a special one for sure.

But other than a handful of shows this summer in the U.S., and Japan, we are starting to really focus on the next album, which we’ve already started writing! So far we’re staying pretty heavy on this one. We all feel really inspired right now and we’re kinda at the stage where we throw down ideas on acoustic guitar, record them as voice memos, and then send them to each other to get a vibe and feedback from the other guys in the band. Speaking of the other guys, Brad is currently renovating to make the ultimate man cave in the wilderness. My vote is to make it the new 3DG jam space. I’m probably gonna just have my drums dropped off there when it’s done so he doesn’t have a choice, lol. I know Matt is actively shopping for a street bike as well … pretty sure he was inspired by Black Betty! (For those of you who haven’t heard the song by Ram Jam, you need to. The classic rock station in Peterborough where Matt and I live, still spins it at least 3 times a week). As for Barry, he loved Russia so much that he ended up staying in Moscow for an extra week after the tour was over!

All of us in the band have really enjoyed checking out all the submissions for #3DGTattooTuesday, where you can post pics of your Three Days Grace inspired tattoos on social media with the hashtag above, and every Tuesday we post some of our favorite ink. So cool to see our fans showing the love … we’re definitely feeling it!

We recently created a page on our website called the “Fallen Angel Dedication Wall.” It's a space where people can leave a special dedication for someone they’ve lost, and so far the messages have been nothing short of powerful. The song “Fallen Angel” was an extremely personal song for me, as it reflects a time in my life when I lost two family members in the same year. To see so many others truly relating to the lyrics of that song and sharing their thoughts and emotions honestly blows me away. It’s a reminder to all of us in Three Days Grace just how connected we are to our fans, and vice versa. Thank you all for that.

Watch Neil Sanderson's "Fallen Angel" Dedication

Our thanks to Neil Sanderson for contributing his latest column to Loudwire. Look for the band on the road at these locations. Follow Three Days Grace on Facebook and Twitter. The band’s ‘Human’ album is available at Amazon and iTunes.

More From Banana 101.5