PRIMUS released their new album, Green Naugahyde, on September 13th via ATO Records/Prawn Songs. The album is the band’s first studio album in 11 years. Ultimate-Guitar.com recently spoke with guitarist Larry “Ler” LaLonde; an excerpt from the interview is available below:

UG: You came from the death metal band POSSESSED—how did you get from there to a band like Primus, which seems like it’s on the other side of the world musically speaking.

Larry: "Yeah, for the most part. I think I was 15 when we made Seven Churches so I didn’t have a lot to draw on. Up to that point, I was into VAN HALEN, OZZY, IRON MAIDEN and then JUDAS PRIEST and all that kind of stuff."

UG: Legend has it that Seven Churches was one of the first if not the first death metal record.

Larry: "We made Seven Churches and there wasn’t a lot of death metal then. There was SLAYER and VENOM so we were still trying to invent some kind of new music. What I remember about that time is that it was really about trying to come up with something new. You know now there’s been so much death metal and everything has been pushed so far and it’s kind of hard to imagine that there was a time when people were inventing this stuff. But even when I listen back to that record, even for death metal it was kind of weird music."

UG: It was interesting that you were consciously trying to create a different style.

Larry: "Yeah, it was the beginning for me at least of trying to push it. We were trying to take it and everybody kind of right around that time was trying to take whatever everybody else was doing like Slayer and Venom and up it a notch."

UG: Back in the day, you were one of JOE SATRIANI’s students. What did he teach you?

Larry: "I think for the most part I probably learned everything. I’d been taking lessons before from a great guitar teacher, George Cole [taught Billie Joe Armstrong] who was an awesome teacher and then I just happened to stumble into the place where Joe was giving lessons one day. It said 'Guitar Lessons' and I signed up and it turned out to be Joe Satriani. I’d heard of Joe from around town because basically around the Bay Area, every kid who had a guitar teacher all their guitar teachers were taking lessons from Joe. So I just kind of heard of this guy but I was too young to have ever gone to a club and see him play."

Go to this location for the complete interview.

Green Naughahyde was produced and engineered by Les Claypool in his personal studio, Rancho Relaxo, in Northern California and features long-time guitarist Larry LaLonde as well as drummer Jay Lane.

Tracklisting for Green Naughahyde is as follows:

‘Prelude To A Crawl’

‘Hennepin Crawler’

‘Last Salmon Man’

‘Eternal Consumption Engine’

‘Tragedy’s a’ Comin’’

‘Eyes Of The Squirrel’

‘Jilly’s On Smack’

‘Lee Van Cleef’

‘Moron TV’

‘Green Ranger’

‘HOINFODAMAN’

‘Extinction Burst’

‘Salmon Men’