According to THIN LIZZY guitarist Damon Johnson, the band will enter the recording studio tomorrow "with electric guitars and amps a'blazin'; and Brian Downey's full drum kit!" No futher details are currently available.

In a recent interview with Rock Fusion, THIN LIZZY frontman Ricky Warwick stated about THIN LIZZY's plans to record a new studio album, "We've just been working on some ideas that we all have. We all write in the band, so we've just been sitting down and playing each other our stuff, and it's been really great. I mean, it's really early days, but everyone's very excited and got loads of ideas, and we're all working really great together as a band, and that's what it's all about — let's get in there and see what ideas we have and take it from there. It was all very productive and we all had a great time. We're back in next week so we will just take it from there and see what happens. Ideally we'd love to record as much as we can, but obviously it's got to be to a great fucking standard. We're all as nervous about it as the fans, but in a good way. The bar has been set very high and we will only release what we 100 percent believe in, whether that's two tracks or 12 tracks. I mean, I'd love it to be a full album, but we'll just need to take it as it goes."

THIN LIZZY is preparing to enter the studio to begin recording its first new album in nearly 30 years for a tentative 2013 release. It will be the group's first studio set since "Thunder And Lightning" in 1983, and its first to not include frontman Phil Lynott, who died in 1986.

Guitarist Scott Gorham told HotPress.com the group will work with producer Kevin Shirley (IRON MAIDEN, DREAM THEATER, JOURNEY, BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION) on the new CD, and that recording will likely start next month. "I'll be going out to Los Angeles at the end of the month to work on some songs with [guitarist] Damon [Johnson] and then I think we will start recording in October in our producer Kevin Shirley's studio," Gorham said.

After a very successful two-year run with the current lineup, THIN LIZZY have made a decision to not release a new album under the THIN LIZZY name.

Commented guitarist Scott Gorham: "Out of respect to [late THIN LIZZY frontman] Phil Lynott and the legacy he created, we have decided that we should not release a new album under the THIN LIZZY name. It was a very difficult decision as we put a lot of time and effort into rebuilding the THIN LIZZY brand over recent years. Releasing a new album was the only way to continue this success.

"We all know how much Phil meant to this band and the fans.

"We have written 20 songs that we all feel very strongly do the band and THIN LIZZY name credit. We believe Phil would have been proud of them.

"We always knew a new record was a touchy subject with some people and as such really want the quality of these songs to be heard by everyone without any judgment or prejudice. To that end, we have decided not to release these songs under the name THIN LIZZY.

"We want to thank everyone for their support and encouragement over the years and to all our fans. We will release this material soon and you will be hearing some great new music with the classic THIN LIZZY sound intact. We will announce future plans early in the New Year."

Added frontman Ricky Warwick: "Our plan always was to put out new music to keep the name THIN LIZZY alive and fresh with all the band's fans — old and new.

"Nobody respects Phil as much as I do and singing his songs for the past two years has been an incredible honor and something I will never forget.

"Our plan was to always keep the band on top of their game, with great shows and great production to honor all that was Phil Lynott and his iconic body of work.

"Without a new album to gain new press and keep the momentum we have built up over the past two years, we are worried the THIN LIZZY brand and all it stands for will diminish to a point we would never want to see. Therefore, our regular touring as THIN LIZZY will cease at the end of this year after our European tour. I do want to stress that this does not necessarily mean we will never play together again as THIN LIZZY. If there are options for other parts of the world, in territories that this line up has never visited then, we may still play odd shows in 2013 and beyond if people want to see us."

In October 2012, THIN LIZZY announced that they would not be recording new material under the THIN LIZZY monicker. The last incarnation of the band — Scott Gorham, Brian Downey, Darren Wharton, Ricky Warwick, Damon Johnson and Marco Mendoza — would be looking to form a new project.

Step forward BLACK STAR RIDERS…

Today sees the announcement of the new band formed by THIN LIZZY alumni Ricky Warwick (vocals), Scott Gorham (guitar), Damon Johnson (guitar), Marco Mendoza (bass) with new addition Jimmy DeGrasso (ALICE COOPER, MEGADETH, DAVID LEE ROTH, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES) on drums. The change in personnel came about as Brian Downey didn't want to commit to the touring cycle a new album would entail and Darren Wharton wanted to concentrate on DARE and other music and film projects.

BLACK STAR RIDERS is set to enter the studio in Los Angeles in January 2013 to start recording their debut album with the legendary Kevin Shirley (LED ZEPPELIN, IRON MAIDEN, AEROSMITH, RUSH). The album will feature material the band wrote while touring as THIN LIZZY and the sound retains that classic feel but is very much its own as well. The BLACK STAR RIDERS record is the next step in the evolution of the THIN LIZZY story.

"We are all very excited about the music that we have created for BLACK STAR RIDERS. The synergy between the five of us has been phenomenal and I can't wait for the world to hear these songs," says Warwick.

BLACK STAR RIDERS ANNOUNCE DEBUT ALBUM TITLE,
TRACK LISTING & WORLDWIDE RELEASE DATES

BLACK STAR RIDERS, the new band featuring THIN LIZZY members Ricky Warwick, Damon Johnson, Scott Gorham and Marco Mendoza together with drummer Jimmy DeGrasso (Alice Cooper / Megadeth), have announced 'All Hell Breaks Loose' as the title of their debut album on Nuclear Blast Entertainment, which will be released Worldwide on the following dates:

May 21st - Japan
May 22nd - Sweden
May 24th - Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Finland, Norway
May 27th - U.K., France, BeNeLux, Poland, Czech Republic, Denmark, Spain, Portugal, Hungary, Greece
May 28th - U.S., Canada, Italy, South America

About the origin of the album title, BLACK STAR RIDERS frontman Ricky Warwick states:

"I was watching a documentary about World War II bombers and saw the name painted on the side of one of the aircraft. The name just resonated with me and it seem to encapsulate the turmoil that we, as a society, are currently experiencing. The past few years have been such a wild ride and now with the release of the album, it sounded like a bad-ass album title that summed up what BLACK STAR RIDERS is all about."

Produced & mixed by the legendary Kevin Shirley (Led Zeppelin, Iron Maiden, Aerosmith, Rush), the track listing for All Hell Breaks Loose is:

01. All Hell Breaks Loose
02. Bound For Glory
03. Kingdom Of The Lost
04. Bloodshot
05. Kissin' The Ground
06. Hey Judas
07. Hoodoo Voodoo
08. Valley Of The Stones
09. Someday Salvation
10. Before The War
11. Blues Ain't So Bad

The album will be released as a standard CD and also as a special edition digi-pak featuring a bonus track "Got A Right To Be Wrong" and a "Making of" DVD.

A 24-minute compilation of behind-the-scenes video reports from the band's studio time in Los Angeles can be viewed on YouTube: http://youtu.be/JEx9gD8RPz8

Confirmed festival appearances for BLACK STAR RIDERS include:

June 1st Hi Rock Festival - Inzell, Germany
June 2nd Hi Rock Festival - St. Goarshausen, Germany
June 8th Sweden Rock Festival - Solvesborg, Sweden
Nov. 29th Hard Rock Hell - N. Wales, U.K.

More tour dates to be announced shortly.