Last In Line guitarist Vivian Campbell says he and the band have written six songs for their next album.
The Dio offshoot released their debut album Heavy Crown in 2016, just weeks after their bassist Jimmy Bain died onboard Def Leppard’s Hysteria On The High Seas cruise.
They’ve since recruited Phil Soussan on bass duties and Erik Norlander on keyboards – and Campbell is looking at a return to the studio later this year.
He tells SiriusXM show Trunk Nation (via Blabbermouth): “We’ve got it half written already. We started writing in January and we have six songs on the go. It sounds amazing – it’s so, so good. So we’re excited for that.
“We were hoping to get it out this year, but, unfortunately, due to my schedule with Def Leppard and Jeff Pilson’s schedule with Foreigner – Jeff produced Heavy Crown for us, and we want to work with him again on the next one – we have to wait.
“It looks like September before we’ll actually be able to start recording it, so it’ll probably be an early 2018 release.”
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Campbell was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2013 and has been receiving immunotherapy treatment called pembrolizumab for almost two years.
And when asked how his health is at the moment, Campbell says: “It’s the least of my concerns.”
He adds: “It’s all good, just ongoing. I’m still doing this wonder drug that cured Jimmy Carter’s cancer. It’s working well for me – it’s holding things in place.
“I’m coming to the end of the two years of the clinical trial – that’ll be up in June. So sometime over the next couple of months, my doctors will decide whether or not I can stay on this drug beyond the trial.
“I hope that that’s the case, because it’s really working for me. The hardest part about it for me is scheduling and the extra travel, because I’ve got to fly back to LA every month to do it. But, yeah, it’s all good.”
Campbell will head out on the road with Def Leppard in the next couple of weeks for a North American tour.
Def Leppard 2017 tour dates
Apr 08: Manchester SNHU Arena, NH
Apr 10: Montreal Centre Bell, QC
Apr 12: Uncasville Mohegan Sun, CT
Apr 14: Baltimore Royal Farms Arena, MD
Apr 15: Uniondale Nassau Coliseum, NY
Apr 17: Grand Rapids Van Andel Arena, MI
Apr 19: Green Bay Resch Center, WI
Apr 21: Saint Paul Xcel Energy Center, MN
Apr 22: Sioux Falls Denny Sanforth Premier Center, SD
Apr 24: Des Moines Wells Fargo Arena, IA
Apr 26: Louisville KFC Yum! Center, KY
Apr 27: Nashville Bridgestone Arena, TN
May 02: Tuscaloosa Amphitheatre, AL
May 03: Atlanta Lakewood Amphitheatre, GA
May 05: Charlottesville John Paul Jones Arena, VA
May 06: Carolina Rebellion Festival, Concord, NC
May 11: Orillia Casino Rama, ON
May 24: Lincoln Pinnacle Bank Arena, NE
May 31: Bozeman Brick Breeden Fieldhouse, MT
Jun 02: Edmonton Rogers Place, AB
Jun 03: Calgary Scotiabank Saddledome, AB
Jun 06: Vancouver Rogers Arena, BC
Jun 07: Spokane Arena, WA
Jun 09: Auburn White River Amphitheatre, WA
Jun 10: Portland Moda Center, OR
Jun 12: Fresno Save Mart Center, CA
Jun 14: Ontario Citizens Business Bank Arena, CA
Jun 16: Chula Vista Mattress Firm Amphitheatre, CA
Jun 17: Las Vegas MGM Grand Garden Arena, NV
Jun 19: Salt Lake City USANA Amphitheatre, UT
Jun 22: Maryland Heights Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, MO
Jun 24: Tinley Park Hollywood Casino Amphithetare, IL
Jun 25: Noblesville Klipsch Music Center, IN
