Alcatrazz have announced the release of Born Innocent, their first album since 1986's Dangerous Games. The album will be released via Silver Lining Music on July 31.
The current line-up of the band features founder members Graham Bonnet, Jimmy Waldo and Gary Shea alongside new guitarist Joe Stump, who fills a role previously occupied by Yngwie Malmsteen and Steve Vai. The lineup is completed by drummer Mark Benquechea.
Amongst the other musicians appearing on the album are Chris Impellitteri, Bob Kulick, Japanese shredder Nozomu Wakai and Vai, who contributed Dirty Like The City to the album.
“The name Alcatrazz is a brand name,” says Bonnet. “People know what Alcatrazz delivers, and on this album you have the original ideas of Alcatrazz but played in a modern way with new inspiration.”
The band have also released the first new single from the album, Polar Bear.
"I heard those words “polar bear” and thought it’s an intriguing title because it sounds all cuddly and nice, but it’s not," says Bonnet. "It’s a story of how, when the Eskimo got too old, they would take their lives by sitting in snow, freezing to death and letting the polar bear take the body.
"The polar bear was very prominent in their lives as a God and also as a way of committing suicide, which is kind of awful. But when an Eskimo loses all his teeth and he could no longer eat, he would lose his strength obviously and then become a weak old man.
"He could no longer contribute to the tribe, he’d feel his life was useless and so he’d walk out into the snow and sacrifice himself to the bear."
In 2016, Bonnet, Waldo and Shea reunited for a series of UK dates that saw performances from New England – the band Waldo and Shea were originally in before joining Alcatrazz – before sets by the Graham Bonnet Band and Alcatrazz.
Alcatrazz have also announced a European tour with Girlschool for late summer. The run of dates kicks off in Switzerland on 26 Aug and climaxes in Finland on September 19. Full details below - further dates will be announced.
Born Innocent is available to pre-order now.
Born Innocent tracklist
Born Innocent
Polar Bear
Finn McCool
We Still Remember
London 1666
Dirty Like The City
I Am The King
Something That I Am Missing
Paper Flags
The Wound Is Open
Body Beautiful
Warth Lane
For Tony
Alcatrazz 2020 European Tour
Aug 26: Aarburg Musigburg, Switzerland*
Aug 27: Milan Biker Charity Rally, Italy)*
Aug 29: Berlin Lido, Germany*
Aug 30: Hamburg Bambi Galore, Germany*
Aug 31: Bochum Matrix, Germany*
Sep 01: The Hague Musicon, The Netherlands*
Sep 02: Hengelo Metropool, The Netherlands*
Sep 03: Paris/Vauréal Le Forum, France*
Sep 04: Lyon Ninkasi Kao, France*
Sep 05: Barcelona Razzmatazz 2, Spain*
Sep 06: Pamplona Auditorio Burladam, Spain*
Sep 07: Santiago Capital, Spain*
Sep 08: Lisbon RCA Club, Portugal*
Sep 09: Madrid Shoko, Spain*
Sep 10: Bordeaux Rock School Barbey, France*
Sep 11: Montbéliard Atelier de Moles, France*
Sep 16: Helsinki On The Rocks, Finland
Sep 17: Tampere Jack The Rooster, Finland
Sep 18: Kuopio Henry's, Finland
Sep 19: Vaasa WS Arena, Finland
* = with Girlschool and Asomvel
