LITA FORD On Her Upcoming Album 'The Bride Wore Black': 'It's Kind Of A PG-13 Sort Of Dark Fairy Tale'

During an appearance on the October 26 episode of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", Lita Ford confirmed that her long-awaited new studio album, which is due in early 2027 via Frontiers Music Srl, will be called "The Bride Wore Black".

Ford's upcoming follow-up to 2012's "Living Like A Runaway" LP will include the song "Dracula", which came out earlier this week. The effort was once again helmed by guitarist/producer Gary Hoey, who contributes some guitar playing to the disc.

Regarding the lyrical themes covered on "The Bride Wore Black", Lita said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's a dark fairy tale of an album, and it is a concept album. And 'Dracula' is basically an entity that represents seduction and someone who drains you of your life, but you like it. You kind of have this thing for flirting with disaster. And so it's a good, sexy song in a dark fairy tale way… So the entire record is based on dark fairy tale. But it's kind of a PG-13 sort of dark fairy tale, like a 'Shrek' movie or something like that, where [Princess] Fiona turns out to be an ogre. Not that there's any ogres on the record, but there's a lot of characters on the record. And each one of them plays a specific part on the record."

Asked when fans can expect "The Bride Wore Black" to see the light of day, Lita said: "Well, we've got another [single] release [coming] in November and January. And then we're hoping with this amazing festival that we're doing in Milano, we're hoping to release a duet with [German metal singer] Doro Pesch, called 'The Queen Of Pain'. And with that release, we will be releasing the entire record along, right before the summer of 2027."

On the topic of the various guest musicians who appear on "The Bride Wore Black", Ford said: "Doro and I did an amazing song together. I mean, it's just phenomenal. I also did a duet with Jean Beauvoir. A lot of you know Jean, but for those of you who don't, he was the bass player in THE PLASMATICS with the blonde mohawk. And [he's] a super-talented guy. He's written a lot of stuff with Paul Stanley [KISS] and multiple other artists. And him and I got together and we wrote this amazing song called 'Fairy Tale Of Doom', and it's just awesome. So, that'll be coming out soon too. And, of course, Gary Hoey. I mean, Gary Hoey produced the whole album. Gary and I go way back to 'Living Like A Runaway', and we just had the best time making this record. I would go into the studio and say to Gary, 'I have this idea.' And no matter how outrageous the idea may seem or may come across, Gary would always run it to ground. So I feel like I would go in there with a question, and Gary would always answer it. And we would always just come out of there having the best time, playing guitars together and singing together. And we just had the greatest time. So it's a great honor to have Gary as a producer on this record. And also [legendary 1980s producer] Max Norman — we all know Max Norman — mixed the record. I met Max at a NAMM show quite a long time ago, and when I saw him and I spoke to him, I thought, 'You're gonna mix my record.' I just knew it in my heart. And Max has mixed some of the greatest heavy metal, hard rock albums — Ozzy [Osbourne] and MEGADETH and some of the most powerful records that are out there now."

"Dracula" was produced by Hoey, mixed by Max Norman and was performed by Ford, Hoey and Bobby Rock on drums.

On the signing to Frontiers Music Srl, Lita previously said: "It's been a long journey to create this magical dark fairytale album for everyone to enjoy. I needed the perfect team to make that happen and to help give this powerful record a life it deserves. I am so happy to say I have officially sealed the deal with Frontiers Music Srl, as we are thrilled, excited and ready to rise with the first new single on October 27th, 2026. Good night. Goodbye… Prepare to die 'Dracula'!! Brace yourself."

Jeff Stevenson, GM of Frontiers Label Group, commented: "We are incredibly proud to welcome Lita Ford to the Frontiers Label Group family. Lita is a true rock icon — an artist whose influence, musicianship, and unmistakable attitude have inspired generations of fans and musicians around the world. Beyond her extraordinary legacy, what excites us most is that Lita continues to look forward creatively. We're honored that she has chosen Frontiers for this next chapter, and we can't wait for fans to hear what she has in store."

In June 2025, Lita confirmed to Dawn Osborne of TotalRock that her new album would include a collaboration with Pesch. "It's waiting to come out," Ford said. "And I'm dying. It's so good. It's not a ballad, and it's not a fast song. It's just a really powerful, mid-range song. And it will reduce you to tears."

As for how the song with Doro came about, Lita said: "When I ran into Doro, she was receiving an award in Los Angeles, and she says to me, 'Lita, we have to do a song together.' And I said, 'I've got it. I've got the title. I know what the title is.' Because sometimes you just grab titles, and you don't even know why. It's just something that sounds amazing. And so I wrote it down in my little book of titles. And soon after that, Doro had came along and she said, 'Let's write something.' And I got the title. So, I went ahead and wrote the song. And Doro did not write the song, but she sure sang the hell out of it. She came out and nailed it. So it was a great honor to work with Doro again."

In May 2022, bassist Marten Andersson (STEELHEART, LIZZY BORDEN, LYNCH MOB) officially joined Lita's touring band. Andersson replaced Marty O'Brien who became the touring bassist for DAUGHTRY.

In January 2021, Lita told "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" that her new album contains "some of the best guitar playing" she has heard "in decades." She added: "And I'm not blowing smoke up my own ass, but Gary and I just nailed it with the guitar playing on this record.

"I'm a huge fan of people like Dick Wagner and Steve Hunter from Alice Cooper's 'Welcome To My Nightmare'. I mean, there's some really great duo guitar players — [JUDAS PRIEST's] Glenn Tipton, K.K. Downing… Those guitar players don't exist anymore — they just don't exist. If you wanna hear them, you have to go back in time a little bit and dig them up into your favorite library, favorite music catalog. But I think Gary and I really nailed it on this next record. It's, like, oh my God. I'm crying — I'm just, like, crying listening to this stuff. It's so badass."

Ford's last release was 2016's "Time Capsule", a collection of songs that were recorded by Lita in the past, but never before made available.

Ten years ago, Lita released an autobiography, "Living Like A Runaway: A Memoir", via Dey Street Books (formerly It Books),an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

Photo credit: Teddy Allison