Vocalist JEFF SCOTT SOTO is featured in a new interview with BackstageAxxess.com, conducted by Kris Engelhart. An excerpt follows:

Q: Your fifth solo album, Damage Control, is about to be released. Can you tell us a little bit about the CD and what prompted you to release a deluxe edition as well?

A: "First of all, there are going to be two versions of the album. I’m really pushing for the deluxe edition because that’s kind of the director’s cut so to speak, the vision that I had for making this album. It had to be cut down because my record company only wanted eleven songs from me but I had fourteen that I was absolutely married to. Because of the loyalty and the years I’ve had with this company, they gave me the option to release two editions so I’m gonna go on record and only push the fourteen-song edition. For an extra couple bucks, you get videos, interview with me explaining the album and all the songs and you get three extra tracks."

Q: You can hear the influence of your earlier years in SOUL SIRKUS and TALISMAN throughout the record. Was that intentional on your part?

A: "The record was something I was really looking forward to making because my last album, Beautiful Mess, was a bit of a departure for me musically and it’s something I really wanted to do. I knew it was gonna really please my hardcore, diehard fans. This album is sort of a return to what they would expect and what they would hope I would do and that’s why I was really looking forward to do it. I wanted to rock again and I pulled it off on the new album. I sat down with the record company and discussed it. They have an idea of what my fan base and what my audience wants. I did an project called, W.E.T, back in 2009, and the album was so well received and it had a lot of the melodic rock, hard rock flavors to it and it sold really well and it gave a huge boost for my name and my career that the label really wanted me to follow in those footsteps. But I didn’t want to make an album that sounded like that. It had to be me and sound like something I would create. They wanted me to kind of capture more of the hard rock, AOR kind of thing and so yeah, it was intentional. For all intents and purposes, I wanted to do something that had everything from mid-stream to the heavy edge of what people expect of me.

Read the full interview here.

Frontiers Records will release Damage Control on March 23rd in Europe and March 27th in North America. Soto's new video, for the album track 'Look Inside Your Heart', can be seen below:

Extraordinary performer and amazing vocalist throughout, Jeff Scott Soto blasts through these hard rocking tracks with energy and masters the transition smoothly from heavy rock to a delicate ballad. For his new album, Damage Control, Jeff has turned to many of his past influences and most requested aspects of his career by blending the art of melodic rock with hard rock throughout.

“I feel Damage Control is more of a return to what my fans would expect to hear from me. It’s a perfect blend of my first two solo albums with Frontiers Records; Prism and Lost In The Translation, but also mixes in some of my favorite moments of my past bands such as TALISMAN and SOUL SIRKUS” tells Jeff. “It is heavy, AOR, hard rock with loads of great riffs and melodies.”

Damage Control was recorded in the fall of 2011 and is completed with appearances and co-writing along with his former and current band mates together with many guests including Jamie Borger and Nalley Påhlsson (TREAT), Casey Grillo (KAMELOT), Joel Hoekstra (NIGHT RANGER) and legendary Y&T; founding member Dave Meniketti.

Jeff recalls: “Y&T; drummer Mike Vanderhule played drums on a track and suggested I bring Dave on but, as he is a long time friend and one on the ‘wish list’ of people I would have loved to have, I didn’t want to get an excuse that he was too busy or not interested, to my surprise I got neither... he was willing to do it and I was not only grateful but beyond pleased to work with another musical hero!”

The album will be released in two exclusive configurations; the basic version in CD jewel box will include 11 songs, while the deluxe edition in digipak format has an additional three bonus tracks and a DVD.

Full tracklisting:

CD:

'Give A Little More'

'Damage Control'

'Look Inside Your Heart'

'Look Inside Your Heart'

'Die A Little'

Take U Down'*

'If I Never Let Her Go'

'Tears That I Cry'

'BonaFide'

'Elena'*

'Krazy World'

'How To Love Again'

'AfterWorld'

'NeverEnding War'

'Afraid To Die'*

* Bonus tracks only available on the Deluxe Edition.

DVD:

'Look Inside Your Heart' (video clip)

'NeverEnding War' (video clip)

'Damage Control' (video clip)

EPK interview

Jeff Scott Soto is currently planning tour dates that will support the release of the new record: “The plan is to do as much touring as possible wherever the World will have me. I plan to promote this album with a proper touring regiment!” concludes Jeff.

The first single, 'Look Inside Your Heart', can be streamed in full at this location

The official trailer can be seen below: