Gibson.com spoke with new guitar recruit Damon Johnson (ex-BROTHER CANE, ALICE COOPER) about the new THIN LIZZY album due in 2013. Here are a few excerpts from the chat:

Gibson.com: What can you tell us about the new album recording so far?

Johnson: "There’s been a commitment from everyone to embrace the diversity of what Thin Lizzy is. Towards the original end, they made Thunder And Lightning. That album was so heavy. A lot of the writing, it seemed Phil wanted to go down a heavy metal route for a while. That’s not what the new album will be. There are some big fat riffs. Classic. I can assure you, we have the riffs. We have eight-to-ten songs written, we want to finish another ten.

Gibson.com: And how is Ricky Warwick handling it all as the new frontman?

Johnson: "Ricky has been amazing. There is no easier target in this than Ricky – he knows that. But he has blown my mind with his writing. He’s constantly writing, constantly reading, changing things to make lyrics better. I’ve done my own share of lyric writing, but I’ve never seen someone work so hard as Ricky. We can bring any piece of music to Ricky, and he comes up with a killer lyric. He deserves a huge amount of credit. He’s not just 'a new frontman.' The guy is a class songwriter. And that’s what Scott and Brian needed to make another Thin Lizzy record."

Gibson.com: Is it tough playing dual-harmony guitars with Scott, who’s been playing that style for years?

Johnson: "No, it’s not been hard. Working with Scott is all about feel. It’s been incredible for me as a Thin Lizzy fan to watch Scott Gorham turn into “Scott Gorham from Thin Lizzy” in the studio, if you know what I mean? My kids and my wife just don’t understand my excitement about this, haha! But we’re focussed on the quality of songs, lyrics and arrangements. We have at least four songs finished that fans will say: yeah, that is the Thin Lizzy sound."

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