Breaking Benjamin Drummer Chad Szeliga Joins Black Label Society

The Zakk Wylde fronted metal outfit Black Label Society have announced that Chad Szeliga of Breaking Benjamin will be replacing Mike Froedge in the seat behind the drums.

Black Label Society's drummer situation of late calls to mind the movie Spinal Tap. In the past year they have had three different drummers including Will Hunt (who left for Evanescence), Johnny Kelly (Type O Negative), and most recently Mike Froedge.

According to Blabbermouth, the announcement came down today that they would be joined by Breaking Ben drummer Chad Szeliga. After Ben Burnley fired everyone else in that band, the situation probably didn't look too promising.

Apparently BLS will be parting ways with Froedge on good terms, he had this to say of his time with the band:

"It's not every day that one gets to tour the world with a living guitar legend, and his amazing band and top-notch crew..... and I will never forget it! Nick [Catanese, Black Label Society guitarist] and I go back many, many years, and he and I will be making more music together one day soon."

Chad Szeliga himself  also chimed in on the lineup change:

"Being a hired gun can be hard. If you don’t do your job, you will be replaced instantly. But if you work hard and show the band you're on your game, it's a great opportunity. But you have to be hungry. You have to practice and show that you're dedicated. Go to the extreme. If the drummer before you played perfectly but had bad stage presence, then play even more perfectly and have great stage presence. Don't just do your job and get paid. If you love music, do it 101 percent."

Sounds like he will fit in just fine with Zakk Wylde's SDMF philosophy. Black Label Society will be opening for Judas Priest on their farewell tour which kicks off October 12th, those dates and their others are listed below:

10/07 - Oklahoma City, OK @ Diamond Ballroom*
10/08 - Memphis, TN @ Minglewood Hall*
10/09 - New Orleans, LA @ House Of Blues*
10/12 – San Antonio, TX @ AT&T Center
10/14 – Corpus Christi, TX @ Concrete Street Amphitheatre
10/15 – Houston, TX @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
10/16 – Dallas, TX @ Allen Event Center
10/18 – Tucson, AZ @ Ava Ampitheatre
10/19 – San Diego, CA @ Cricket Wireless Ampitheatre
10/21 – Phoenix, AZ @ AZ State Fair
10/22 – San Bernardino, CA @ San Manuel Amphitheatre
10/23 – Las Vegas, NV @ Hard Rock
10/25 – Los Angeles, CA @ Gibson Amphitheatre
10/26 – Oakland, CA @ Oracle Arena
10/29 – Seattle, WA @ WaMu Theater
10/30 – Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena
11/01 – Edmonton, AB @ Shaw Conference Center
11/02 – Calgary, AB @ Scotiabank Saddledome
11/04 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Maverick Center
11/05 – Denver, CO @ 1st Bank Center
11/12 – Chicago, IL @ The Venue At Horseshoe Casino
11/13 – Detroit, MI @ Joe Louis Arena
11/18 – East Rutherford, NJ @ Izod Center

* - w/o Judas Priest