The Damned Things' debut disc, Ironiclast, may have just hit stores Tuesday, but that doesn't mean they're not already thinking ahead to album number two. Or at least album 1.5.
"We recorded 12 songs for the record, but two of the songs we ended up not finishing, just for time's sake. ... They'll get done because we recorded the drums to tape and tracked all this other stuff, and they'd be a waste to throw away," guitarist Joe Trohman told. "And they're cool songs, but they need some lyrics and things of that nature that are important. I don't think they'd be good instrumentals. So we need to finish those, and we will, and then there's tons of other material that we didn't get into recording, because we didn't have the time."
Of course, finishing those songs may be tough, because starting next month, the Damned Things will hit the road on the Jägermeister Music Tour, alongside Buckcherry, Hellyeah and All That Remains. And as anyone who's ever climbed aboard the bus (or packed themselves in a van) will attest to, the road isn't exactly conducive to work. But right now, TDT are planning on tinkering with songs both old and new during the tour. Though, of course, all that may change.
"You never know. We're going to have a lot of free time on this upcoming Jäger tour. We're on earlier in the night, and I believe our set is probably somewhere in the 30- to 40-minute range," guitarist Scott Ian said. "It's always good to have at least the plan of doing something constructive with your time. It generally gets thrown out the window once the tour starts. We'll see."
And even if the road — and the Jäger — does get the best of them, well, don't worry, because Trohman already has a contingency plan in place.
"I have a bunch of stuff sitting around that I'm definitely planning to bring on tour and then work on with these dudes, and I would like to do that," he said. "And also I'm sure some stuff will get written on tour; it always does."
"But also, free Jäger," Ian laughed.
"[The new album] is going to be a concept record about getting free Jäger," Trohman smiled. "A Journey to Free Jäger."
Have you checked out the Damned Things' debut yet? Let us know in the comments!