In a new interview discussing his Down N Outz project, Def Leppard frontman Joe Elliott also talks to Guitar International's Robert Cavuoto about the status of the new Def Leppard album.

"Well, the new Def Leppard album is, at this moment in time, just a writing session that lasted the entire month of February. We were hoping, at best, for three or four songs, maybe five. We ended up walking out of there with 12. They’re all in various stages of undress, if you like. There are three songs that I think we could actually release tomorrow. The other nine are anywhere from having “la-la melodies” to “we need to record it properly’.

But, we’ve filled them up with songs that will be in the album. We’ll probably pick 12 from 16 or something like that. But we’ve got 12, and I’m going to be working on one of them this evening. We’re all coming back to my place the last two weeks of May to do a bit more. It will probably be more writing than recording, because we don’t believe we’ve finished writing yet, even though we’ve got all those songs on the go. And then there’s the tour with KISS this summer, which will take us through to September.

In October, I’ll be producing Black Star Riders’ second album until the end of November and then go back and finish recording and mixing the Leppard record. The vocals get done last, so I’ll be singing up to and beyond Christmas. I’m hoping, fingers crossed, but I am making this up as I go along, so bear that in mind that we can actually deliver the CD by February 2015."

Read the complete interview at this location.

This summer, KISS and Def Leppard are set to deliver a massive tour dedicated to fans who wanna rock and roll all night. These two legendary rock bands spanning two continents announced March 17th that they will launch the tour as KISS celebrates their 40th year in music. A new promo clip promoting the tour has been uploaded:

The KISS, Def Leppard tour will storm through 40-plus cities throughout North America kicking-off on Monday, June 23rd in West Valley City, UT at the USANA Amphitheater.

Tour commercial:

KISS and Def Leppard jointly decided to support our heroes and honor their dedicated fans in the armed services by partnering with numerous military organizations for the tour. Partnerships will include the USO, Hiring Our Heroes, Project Resiliency/The Raven Drum Foundation, August Warrior Project and the Wounded Warrior Project. All military personnel will be given exclusive access to discounted tickets for the tour with their own pre-sale through Military.com/Monster.com. Military charities will receive a portion of ticket sales with the money raised being split amongst all the non-profit organizations participating with the summer tour.

Tour dates:

June

23 - West Valley City, UT - USANA Amphitheater
25 - Denver, CO - Pepsi Center
27 - Ridgefield, WA - Sleep Country Amphitheater
29 - Auburn, WA - White River Amphitheater

July

2 - Concord, CA - Concord Pavilion
3 - Wheatland, CA - Sacramento Valley Amphitheater
5 - Irvine, CA - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
6 - Chula Vista, CA - Sleep Train Amphitheatre
8 - Los Angeles, CA - The Forum
9 - Phoenix, AZ - Ak-Chin Pavilion
12 - Austin, TX - austin360 Amphitheater
13 - Dallas, TX - Gexa Energy Pavilion
15 - Cincinnati, OH - Riverbend Music Center
16 - Nashville, TN - Bridgestone Arena
18 - Atlanta, GA - Aaron's Amphitheater at Lakewood
19 - Charlotte, NC - PNC Music Pavilion
20 - Raleigh, NC - Walnut Creek Amphitheater
22 - West Palm Beach, FL - Cruzan Amphitheater
23 - Tampa, FL - MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheater
25 - Bristow, VA - Jiffy Lube Live
26 - Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center

August

1 - Mansfield, MA - Xfinity Center
2 - Atlantic City, NJ - Boardwalk Hall
3 - Camden, NJ - Susquehanna Bank Center
5 - Saratoga Springs, NY - Saratoga Performing Arts Center
6 - Wantagh, NY - Nikon at Jones Beach Theatre
8 - Virginia Beach, VA - Farm Bureau Live at Virginia Beach
9 - Scranton, PA - Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mountain
10 - Hartford, CT - The Xfinity Theatre
12 - Toronto, ON - Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
13 - Darien Center, NY - Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
15 - East Troy, WI - Alpine Valley Music Theater
16 - Tinley Park, IL - First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
17 - Minneapolis, MN - Target Center**
20 - Des Moines, IA - Wells Fargo Arena**
22 - Noblesville, IN - Klipsch Music Center
23 - Clarkston, MI - DTE Energy Music Theatre
24 - Burgettstown, PA - First Niagara Pavilion
26 - Cuyahoga Falls, OH - Blossom Music Center
28 - Maryland Heights, MO - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
29 - Tulsa, OK - BOK Center
31 - Houston, TX - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

Check out 40 minutes of footage from the press conference announcing the tour below: