Guesting on Loudwire's Gear Factor, drum legend Mike Portnoy (The Winery Dogs. Transatlantic, ex-Dream Theater) plays his favourite drum intros through rock and metal history in the clip below.

2023 will not be the year to let sleeping dogs lie. Not when it comes to The Winery Dogs, who are kicking off the new year with more new music from their forthcoming and aptly named third album, III.

Set for release February 3 on the band’s Three Dog Music label (via Burnside Distribution/The Orchard), III follows in the paw steps of their first two albums, once again being self-produced by the band - Richie Kotzen, Mike Portnoy, Billy Sheehan - and mixed by longtime band associate Jay Ruston.

The album’s second song release, “Mad World”, can be seen and heard now, with the Vicente Cordero-directed video shot in Los Angeles last November. Watch below.

“’Get on the bus, go do the exercise’ is the opening line of the song and it really sets the tone,” explains singer/guitarist Richie Kotzen. “The song is dealing with a certain attitude or way of thinking forced on individuals regardless of your own life experience or unique individuality. I remember a time where opposing opinions and viewpoints were more accepted. A good old healthy debate was a great thing back then. This song is really shining a light on how there may be certain consequences to pay if you don’t think a certain way. It’s also reflected in the lyric, ‘You’d better bite your tongue so you sound the same.’ It also offers a glimmer of hope in its chorus with the line ‘Turn from a scar into a pearl.’ So it’s not all doom and gloom. There’s always a chance to turn things around.”

Fans wanting to pre-order the album and enter to win a custom Fender Richie Kotzen Telecaster guitar can go here.  A vinyl edition of III will also be forthcoming in just a few months.

III tracklisting:

"Xanadu"
"Mad World"
"Breakthrough"
"Rise"
"Stars"
"The Vengeance"
"Pharaoh"
"Gaslight"
"Lorelei"
"The Red Wine"

"Xanadu" video: