Ugly Kid Joe’s reveals when their upcoming album will be published

Ugly Kid Joe will release its next studio album in the first quarter of 2027 through BLKIIBLK, the heavy metal imprint of Frontiers Label Group. Guitarist and producer Dave Fortman shared the news in a new interview with “Reckless” Rexx Ruger on the Pod Scum podcast, explaining that the label deal gives the band support for the release and its promotion.

We’re gonna do a deal with [BLKIIBLK], as far as I know. And so that pushes [the release of the new Ugly Kid Joe LP] to quarter one of next year, which is — it’s all good news because, basically, there’s someone behind it now, rather than just a completely independent release like we did on ‘Rad Wings Of Destiny’. So we’re stoked. And also it coincides with the boys going over to Australia. And there’s touring stuff being lined up just to kind of get it all into one pile and get the promotion side of it happening full on.

I’m excited about it. Obviously, I’m really proud of this record, so I was dying to hear it come out sooner, but all good. Nothing’s really rushed in this case, and it is really important to stack the cards right to release it.

Musically, the new album is expected to lean further into traditional heavy metal. Asked about his earlier description of the material as “more metal” than Ugly Kid Joe‘s latest album, Fortman pointed to influences from the classic era of Judas Priest and said the record contains plenty of heavy riffs alongside strong hooks.

“There’s a lot of throwback in this one to more, actually, metal from the traditional sense of [Judas] Priest and that era,” he said. “Not so much glam metal, or not so much even thrash metal, but just straight-up, old-school metal. There’s a few songs like that.”

Fortman described the songwriting process as a particularly collaborative one, with him and vocalist Whitfield Crane spending extended sessions turning Crane’s ideas and riffs into songs. He said the process helped Crane flourish as a songwriter, and singled out “Great Divide” as his favourite track on the record so far. Another song, “Icarus,” went through several versions before becoming a different composition.

Guitarist Klaus Eichstadt has also contributed to the album. Fortman praised Eichstadt’s writing, saying that several of his songs had made a strong impression on him. Eichstadt previously revealed that the record will feature a guest appearance by former Judas Priest guitarist K.K. Downing.

The upcoming album will follow Ugly Kid Joe‘s 2022 release “Rad Wings Of Destiny,” which reunited the band with producer Mark Dodson, who had also worked on its 1992 debut, “America’s Least Wanted.” The new record is being produced by Fortman and is expected to be the band’s next full-length release. Further details, including its title and exact release date, have not yet been announced.