Since guitarist/vocalist John Sykes (WHITESNAKE, BLUE MURDER, THIN LIZZY) left the THIN LIZZY reunion band a few years back, he has been immersed in the studio writing and arranging new tracks. He has written well over 30 songs so far and has also had new equipment fitted in his studio, where he records all his own material.

John is currently working on his fifth studio album that is due for release later this year. The title of the CD has not yet been disclosed, but there are some fantastic guest musicians on board, including:

* Josh Freese (WEEZER, A PERFECT CIRCLE, GUNS N' ROSES, DEVO): Drums
* Tony Franklin (THE FIRM): Bass
* Chris Chaney (JANE'S ADDICTION): Bass
* Curt Bisquera (SARAH MCLACHLAN): Drums
* Jamie Muhoberac (THE ALL-AMERICAN REJECTS, FLEETWOOD MAC, THE ROLLING STONES): Keyboards

Sykes's much-hyped collaborative project with drummer Mike Portnoy (DREAM THEATER, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, ADRENALINE MOB) came to an abrupt end in January 2012. Portnoy later blamed the split on the fact that he "couldn't wait around any longer" for Sykes to get ready to enter the studio.

Portnoy and Sykes announced they were working together during a July 2011 taping of season eight of VH1 Classic's "That Metal Show". The program's co-host Eddie Trunk tweeted about the project at the time, "I heard demos. Sounds like killer BLUE MURDER meets '1987' WHITESNAKE. Amazing!" He also said that the new group would perform some BLUE MURDER material when it hits the road.

The project in 2011 demoed more than a dozen songs at a Los Angeles studio, with Portnoy describing one track as "copping the [LED] ZEPPELIN/[BLACK] SABBATH vibe" and another as "[PINK] FLOYD meets [DEEP] PURPLE!!! Some serious old-school classic rock."

Sykes announced his departure from THIN LIZZY in July 2009, explaining that "I feel it's time to get back to playing my own music."