STEPHEN PEARCY On 'New Breed' Of RATT: 'The Last Five Shows We've Done Were Amazing'

Stephen Pearcy says that "the last five shows" he has played with RATT have been "amazing," even though the band's concerts in Huntington, New York and St. Charles, Illinois were marred by the fact that he was stumbling and apparently couldn't remember the words to many of the band's most popular songs.

RATT's September 26 show in Huntington saw Pearcy slurring while sitting down and nearly lying down on the drum riser. The 62-year-old singer also appeared to be slouching or leaning on to the bass drum during "Round And Round" and holding on to the tom-tom stand and bass drum to keep from falling over.

Pearcy was similarly incapacitated during RATT's October 5 concert in St. Charles, where some of the attendees said the frontman appeared to be "drunk" and "drugged out." He was also criticized for "walking off stage" and "sitting on a drum riser" during much of the performance.

Pearcy later apologized to the RATT fans, saying in a statement that he was "dealing with a pain-management issue due to a bad knee that is scheduled to be replaced in January." He added that he "made the critical error of adding alcohol to my pain meds while on stage" at the Huntington concert "and it destroyed my performance."

In a brand new interview with the "Talking Metal" podcast, Pearcy didn't address the fact that he took prescription pain medication and drank alcohol during the Huntington concert but explained that he decided to go ahead with the show despite the fact that he was not at his best.

"I have to say the last five shows we've done were amazing," Stephen said (hear audio below). "One show I wanted to cancel, and I really never cancel shows ever — ever. Not since day one have I canceled a show, whether I was sick, couldn't sing; I still went out. Or broken a rib; [I] still went out. But I literally had to sit it out, man, and it really bothered me; that's not me. So I just got this robo brace and just went for it for the last few shows, and then I get the knee done. So it'll be all good. It takes time."

During the same chat, Pearcy praised RATT's current lineup, which also includes original bassist Juan Croucier along with drummer Pete Holmes (BLACK 'N BLUE) and guitarists Jordan Ziff (RAZER) and Chris Sanders (BRITNY FOX, KNIGHT FURY).

"I love the new band," he said. "We click so… it's just incredible how well we're just clicking; it's like we've been together for 20-something… I don't know… years and years. We just go out there, and it's the strangest thing. It's like RATT circa '83, '84. Well, this is the version, to me, the closest thing to being that entity. And so we're having a good time. When you don't have to think and look around and you just do your gig, you're on to something. So we're having a good time — we 're having a really good time. We're selling out shows, and people are loving it, so hopefully we're turning some people on."

Stephen also spoke about the possibility of new music from RATT, which released its last studio album, "Infestation", in 2010. Asked if any of the music he demoed with original RATT guitarist Warren DeMartini in recent years will find its way on to the upcoming record, Pearcy said: "No. That was something that I did with Warren years ago, and that's something we never really got into; we just kind of demoed one thing. It's a new breed of RATT here, and that's what we'll go with."

This past summer, Pearcy said that DeMartini "didn't wanna go out there" and play shows with RATT, leading to the guitarist's departure from the group.

RATT's new lineup made its live debut in July in Mulvane, Kansas.

Pearcy will release his fifth solo album, "View To A Thrill", on November 9 via Frontiers Music Srl.