FOZZY Has ‘So Many Great Songs’ Written For Next Album, Says CHRIS JERICHO

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FOZZY frontman Chris Jericho recently spoke to Australia's Triple M radio station about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band's follow-up to 2017's "Judas" album. He said (hear audio below): "We had so much success with the 'Judas' record, and now we're on Sony Music. So everything's gotta be the right move for FOZZY. And that's why we released [the] 'Nowhere To Run' [standalone single] back in September, because Sony is not so much about full albums; it's about keeping the singles going and keeping the radio play going and keeping the momentum going. So that's kind of what we're doing. And had there not been a pandemic, there would have been a new single, I think, probably at the beginning of March, but, obviously, everything's kind of put on hold." He continued: "I will say this: we have kind of the 'champagne problem,' as I say, in that there's so many great songs that we've written for this record, it's gonna be hard to pick the singles. And once again, it's the same thing we did with 'Judas' and with [2014's] 'Do You Wanna Start A War' — we wanted to do a record where if [the opportunity arises to release] six, seven, eight singles, like it used to be with [DEF LEPPARD's] 'Hysteria' and [GUNS N' ROSES'] 'Appetite For Destruction' and that sort of thing, then we're ready to go. Now, is that gonna happen? Well, it's probably not, 'cause times have changed, but the songs and the material haven't changed, as far as the amount of quality that we have. "So we're really excited, man. Like I said, when the time is ready, the album will come out, but in the meantime, we've got a lot of singles and songs ready to go for whenever the next opening is, shall we say, for us to release. And hopefully that is very soon." Jericho also talked about the FOZZY songwriting process, explaining that it is guitarist Rich Ward and producer Johnny Andrews who "are really working and doing the lion's share. I used to write all the lyrics for FOZZY, but then when we started with Johnny Andrews, he was, like, 'I love all these lyrics, but mine are better.' And that's basically the truth," he said. "It doesn't matter who writes the songs; my ego is definitely not bothered by that. All that matters is that the songs are great. And I'm the one who has to introduce these lyrics to the world and sell them, so I often feel sometimes like [RUSH's] Geddy Lee who would have to sing some of these tunes that Neil Peart was writing, like 'The Trees' or 'Xanadu', [It's, like], 'What the hell are you talking about?' But that's part of the fun of being a singer — taking these words that somebody else has written, internalizing them and then unleashing them on the world with my own [interpretation]." In addition to producing "Judas", Andrews previously co-wrote FOZZY's "Lights Go Out" track back in 2014. He has also written songs with the likes of ALL THAT REMAINS, THREE DAYS GRACE and HALESTORM.