THIN LIZZY: New Band Name Revealed?

THIN LIZZY recently announced its decision not to release their upcoming studio under the THIN LIZZY name out of respect to late LIZZY frontman Phil Lynott and the legacy Phil created. The band's new name, as well as the details of the new CD, will be officially revealed over the Christmas period.

According to Rockadia.com, THIN LIZZY's management — Siren Artist Management Inc. — registered a new web site domain name, BlackStarRiders.com, on October 9, leading to speculation that the new band name will be BLACK STAR RIDERS.

An associate of Rockadia.com went to see THIN LIZZY's current bass player Marco Mendoza perform a solo show in October following the announcement of the upcoming name change. Asked which bandmembers will be involved in the new band, Mendoza confirmed "definitely the front four," leaving THIN LIZZY fans wondering if drummer Brian Downey — who owns the THIN LIZZY name along with Phil Lynott's wife and daughters — is set to part ways with his THIN LIZZY bandmates.

THIN LIZZY guitarist Damon Johnson told Metal Express Radio during a recent interview about the name change: "There's other bands out there that are established with new lead singers and different members of the band. They've made new music without their most famous lineup. We thought for a while that's exactly what we were going to do, and the songs were written under that umbrella: 'We've got to make a THIN LIZZY record.' That raised the bar incredibly high. It was a question for Brian [Downey, drums] and Scott [Gorham, guitar] all along."

He continued: "We're grateful for the massive support we've got from Phil's family, his widow and his daughters. They've been very supportive of everything that THIN LIZZY has done, particularly since Ricky joined. But I know they expressed some concern about the concept of brand-new original material. I get it, man, I totally get it.

"Once we made that decision, it took a lot of pressure off. It took a lot of pressure off Ricky."

Regarding the sound of the new THIN LIZZY material, Johnson said: "Phil's such a part of these new songs. We felt, 'Let's make the record, put it out under a different name — and let the fans know this is THIN LIZZY 2013 under a different name.'

"People who are passionate about the sound that THIN LIZZY has, they're gonna get a lot of that classic sound with this new record."

The new band's debut album will be produced by Kevin Shirley, who has previously worked with IRON MAIDEN, DREAM THEATER, JOURNEY and BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION, among others.

THIN LIZZY's current lineup features Phil Lynott-era LIZZY members Scott Gorham, Brian Downey and Darren Wharton (keyboards),as well as Damon Johnson, formerly of BROTHER CANE and Alice Cooper's band, former THE ALMIGHTY singer/guitarist Ricky Warwick, and bassist Marco Mendoza.

Quality fan-filmed video footage of THIN LIZZY's December 13 concert at the Olympia Theatre in Dublin, Ireland can be seen below.