In a new interview with Music Radar, Whitesnake guitarist Reb Beach discusses the band's upcoming Flesh & Blood album, and reveals which guitarists inspired his stunt-like approach to his instrument.

“KISS was my first big rock show, but not long after that the second was Boston and that’s where I saw Tom Scholz," says Reb. "They had Sammy Hagar opening - he blew me away, too - but witnessing Tom on stage with his guitar, pointing at it and making noises like a magician… that was the coolest thing I ever saw.

“It was like he was slowing down a tape machine. He’d do the pick skew on the wound strings and drop it down two octaves so it turned into this real bassy gigantic thing. He did it in almost every song. It was the coolest sound I’d ever heard coming out of a guitar. That’s how I ended up getting into weird noises.

“Sometimes magical things happen. I was doing solos for David on a project once and notes were happening that I had no idea about. When certain things ring out into each other and go ning-ning-ning… you can’t do that stuff again. If you catch it in a recording, that’s great!”

Read the complete interview at Music Radar.

Whitesnake will release their Flesh & Blood album on May 10th via Frontiers Music Srl. Flesh & Blood follows the 2011 studio album Forevermore and 2015’s The Purple Album, a reimagining of Deep Purple classics from Whitesnake mastermind’s David Coverdale’s time in that band. The 13 original, visceral tracks on Flesh & Blood, the band’s 13th studio album, are, luckily for you dear reader, “all killer, no filler”, as the saying goes. But would you expect anything less from the ’Snakes?

David Coverdale, the mastermind behind Whitesnake & co-composer of "Shut Up & Kiss Me" with guitarist Reb Beach, commenting on the forthcoming release said that "after the intense darkness of our last video 'Burn', if anything, it’s ‘light’ snake, you know? We’ve got some really dark energy going on in the world right now, so we’re gonna write & record a fun, knees up, song about falling in love with a fabulous babe. You’re over-talking, over-compensating & she just looks at you, takes the reins & says, 'Shut Up and Kiss Me!' and that’s it!! My video director and creative partner Tyler Bourns and I discussed a great storyline for the video, which involves a surprise guest: my fabulous old white Jaguar. We ended up cleaning and detailing it, as it has been in storage since I moved to Lake Tahoe, then we dusted off my old turquoise silk jacket from the original ‘Here I Go Again’ video and I was thinking, "man, this is going to be fun!" It’s a respectful acknowledgment and positive nod to the past, just fun stuff.”

Joining Coverdale on Flesh & Blood is the powerhouse band comprised of Reb Beach and Joel Hoekstra on guitar, Michael Devin on bass, Tommy Aldridge on drums, and Michele Luppi on keyboards.

Since joining the band four years ago, and just in time for 2015's The Purple Album, Chicago native Joel Hoekstra has really come into his own, not only as a highly impressive axe-slinger, but also as a very accomplished songwriter too, co-writing six of the songs for Flesh & Blood with singer David Coverdale. Of course Joel’s talents are hardly surprising, considering he’s the son of two classical musicians.

Guitarist Reb Beach, who originally joined Whitesnake in 2002, has stepped up to become the group’s bandleader and guides the band to implement Coverdale’s musical vision. As well as bringing his impressive musical chops to the band, Reb has co-written five songs on the new album, the fourth studio album he has appeared on, commencing with 2008’s highly acclaimed Good To Be Bad.

It was the Good To Be Bad follow-up, Forevermore (2011), that saw the debut of bassist Michael Devin. The New Englander’s four-string-depth-charge-bass-bombs definitively underpin and drive the sound of Whitesnake in the 21st century.

Rounding out the rhythm section is David’s longest serving ’Snake, the renowned drummer and unstoppable percussionist Tommy Aldridge, who has been with Whitesnake in some capacity for 30 years. Tommy made his debut with Whitesnake way back in 1987 in the "Still Of The Night" video, becoming a mainstay behind the kit for successive albums and tours.

Last, but certainly not least, the band is completed by the inventive keyboards and vocals of Italian maestro Michele Luppi, who made his live debut in 2015, as documented on The Purple Tour live CD/DVD (2018).

The current incarnation of the band carries on the long and unwavering tradition of main man David Coverdale being surrounded by cream of the crop players who go all in to bring fans the best hard rock humanly possible. 40+ years into their existence, the ‘Snakes fangs have only grown sharper and are ready to inject fans with more of that rock ‘n roll venom they crave.

Flesh & Blood will be released in multiple formats.

* CD (Jewel Case)
* CD+DVD Deluxe Edition (Digipak) - Includes two studio bonus tracks on CD. DVD includes "Shut Up & Kiss Me" (classic jag version) (video), "Shut Up & Kiss Me" (club mix version) (video), Behind the Scenes of 'Flesh & Blood' video + 3 DVD Audio Tracks (remixes of album tracks)
* Super Luxury Boxset - Includes CD+DVD Deluxe Edition, 2xLP Standard Color LP, Poster, Numbered Lithograph, Box Set
* 2xLP - Black, 180g, Gatefold (Worldwide)
* 2xLP - Silver, 180g, Gatefold (Frontiers' U.S. Store Exclusive) - Limited to 300 Copies
* 2xLP - Gold, 180g, Gatefold (Frontiers' UK Store Exclusive) - Limited to 500 Copies
* 2xLP - Red, 180g, Gatefold (Frontiers' EU Store Exclusive) - Limited to 350 Copies

Pre-order "Flesh & Blood" here.

Signed CDs (Limited to 100), Limited Edition Silver Vinyl (Limited to 300 copies worldwide), & more available from Frontiers' US webstore here.

Signed CDs (Limited to 100), Limited Edition Gold Vinyl (Limited to 500 copies worldwide), & more available from Frontiers' UK webstore here.

Signed CDs (Limited to 100), Limited Edition Red Vinyl (Limited to 350 copies worldwide) & more available from Frontiers' EU webstore here.

Tracklisting CD / 2xLP:

"Good To See You Again"
"Gonna Be Alright"
"Shut Up & Kiss Me"
"Hey You (You Make Me Rock)"
"Always & Forever"
"When I Think Of You (Color Me Blue)"
"Trouble Is Your Middle Name"
"Flesh & Blood"
"Well I Never"
"Heart Of Stone"
"Get Up"
"After All "
"Sands Of Time"

Bonus tracks on CD+DVD Deluxe Edition and Digital Version:

"Can’t Do Right For Doing Wrong" (Bonus Track - New Studio Song)
"If I Can’t Have You" (Bonus Track - New Studio Song)
"Gonna Be Alright" (X-Tendo Mix) - DVD Audio Track
"Sands Of Time" (Radio Mix) - DVD Audio Track
"Shut Up And Kiss Me" (Video Mix) - DVD Audio Track

Mixed by Christopher Collier
Produced by Beach, Hoekstra & McIntyre
Executive Producer: David Coverdale

"Hey You (You Make Me Rock)":

"Trouble Is Your Middle Name":

"Shut Up & Kiss Me" video:

"Shut Up & Kiss Me" video behind-the-scenes:

EPK (Electronic Press Kit):

Whitesnake kicked off their first shows of the 2019 Flesh & Blood World Tour in Newkirk, OK on April 12th with a set featuring songs from the new studio record alongside their biggest hits and songs from one of the greatest back catalogues in rock ‘n’ roll history, spanning over 40 years.

For more tour information visit whitesnake.com. A complete list of dates can be found below.

April (with Black Moods)
25 - Hollywood, FL - Seminole Hard Rock Casino*
26 - Melbourne, FL - Maxwell C. King PAC
28 - Charlotte, NC - Ovens Auditorium
29 - Huber Heights, OH - Rose Music Center

May (with Black Moods)
1 - Richmond, VA - Richmond, VA - The National
2 - Bensalem, PA - XCITE Center at Parx Casino*
4 - Columbia, MD - M3 Festival#
5 - Jim Thorpe, PA - Penns Peak
7 - Sayreville, NJ - Starland Ballroom
8 - Huntington, NY - The Paramount
10 - Hampton Beach, NH - Hampton Beach Casino
11 - Lincoln, RI - Twin River Casino*
14 - Greenville, PA - The Palace Theatre
17 - Verona, NY - Turning Stone Casino*
18 - Niagara Falls, NY - Seneca Niagara Casino*

June
12 - Tilburg, Netherlands - 013
14 - Donnington, UK - Download Festival #
17 - Prague, Czech Republic - 02 Arena **
19 - Milan, Italy - Mediolanum Forum **
20 - Zurich, Switzerland - Rock the Ring Festival #
22 - Clisson, France - Hellfest #
23 - Dessel, Belgium - Graspop Metal Meeting #
25 - Budapest, Hungary - Barba Negra Track
27 - Zajecar, Serbia - Gitarijada Festival #
29 - Plovdiv, Bulgaria - Hills of Rock Festival #

July
1 - Bucharest, Romania - Arenele Romane
3 - Zagreb, Croatia - SRC Salata
5 - Sered, Slovakia - Sered Amphitheatre
7 - Cologne, Germany - Palladium
10 - Gavle, Sweden - Furuviksparken *
15 - Saint Petersburg, Russia - Bkz Oktyabrski Theatre
17 - Moscow, Russia - Crocus City Hall

* Whitesnake only
# festival appearance
** with Def Leppard

(Band photo - Tyler Bourns)