Simon Rushworth
Black Star Riders look set to become every classic rock fan’s new favourite band after the Thin Lizzy story took a sensational new twist.
Earlier this year Lizzy’s current line-up revealed the band’s new album would not be released under their famous name and instead all new material would be rebranded under a new monicker.
Step forward Black Star Riders – a ‘new’ group featuring Ricky Warwick (vocals), Scott Gorham (guitar), Danon Johnson (guitar), Marco Medoza (Bass) and Jimmy DeGrasso (drums).
The band laid down new tracks during a series of secret sessions in Newcastle’s Blast Recordings studios during the summer. And Blast Star Riders will take those tracks to Kevin Shirley in Los Angeles next month to complete work on their eagerly anticipated debut.
The album will feature material the band wrote whilst touring as Thin Lizzy and it is understood the sound fuses classic rock with a more modern sound.
“We are all very excited about the music that we have created for Black Star Riders,” said Warwick. “The synergy between the five of us has been phenomenal and I can’t wait for the world to hear these songs.”
The new, as yet untitled, album will be released in May 2013 through Nuclear Blast – the label behind Anthrax, Nightwish and Meshuggah. Black Star Riders are one of the first bands signed by Monte Conner – the former Roadrunner A&R guru who has signed acts such as Slipknot, Machine Head, Sepultura and Rush. Conner recently joined Nuclear Blast as the president of Nuclear Blast Entertainment, a new U.S. partnership he co-founded with Nuclear Blast owner Markus Staiger.
Conner said: “As a lifelong Thin Lizzy fan I was floored by this line-up’s new material. Not only do the new songs sound like Thin Lizzy but they sound like CLASSIC Thin Lizzy. Black Star Riders totally captures the essence of what was great about the original band while at the same time adding something totally fresh and modern. Even when I heard the band decided to change their name, my interest in signing them did not waver for one second.”
The band are looking to support their May album release with European festivals shows in the summer of 2013 and follow this up with worldwide touring. The set list will consist of material from the new album and classic Thin Lizzy material.