10-Song Collection Reimagines Headbangers by Guns N’ Roses, Ozzy Osbourne, Mötley Crüe, Cinderella, Motörhead and More – Available July 18th
Inspired by his longtime love for ’80s metal, the new album finds Williams reinterpreting hits from Guns N’ Roses, Ozzy Osbourne, Mötley Crüe, Cinderella, Motörhead and more as a collection of backwoods ballads, campfire sing-alongs, and roadhouse roots-rockers. Along with the announcement, Williams shares his rendition of Ratt’s “Round and Round”, a smoky, Southern rock revamp that maintains the late-night indulgence of the original.
“‘Round and Round’ is one of my favorite songs of all time and has been since the first time I heard it,” says Williams. “I have to say as far as this one goes, I had worked up an alternate version of it first, prior to making the decision to do a full album of covers. As a result, it felt more natural to lay the song down when it came time to record.”
Produced by GRAMMY-winning producer and longtime collaborator Ben Fowler (Charley Crockett, Lynyrd Skynyrd) in Nashville, Space Brain doesn’t push Williams away from his country pedigree but instead expands his interpretation of that sound altogether. Working with modern-day guitar heroes like Rob McNelley (Bob Seger, Wynonna Judd), Dan Dugmore (Linda Ronstadt, ZZ Top) and Mike Payne (Luke Bryan), Williams masterfully reconstructed each song, aiming to emphasize storytelling over sheer sonic power. Heavy metal and country music may seem like strange bedfellows, but there’s a real reverence for the material here, with Williams breathing new life with his signature husky voice.
The end result is a record that positions Williams not only as a vocalist with arena-sized swagger, but as a formidable interpreter, too. While country music has a long history of honoring its pioneers through countless artists within the genre, Space Brain is something different: a country and roots-influenced album that nods to a different genre altogether. Few artists would venture this far outside the realm of American roots music, but Williams has never minded taking an unconventional path.
“I didn’t record these songs to make a statement, or to tell people I’m different,” Williams says. “This album is just an extension of my story. I grew up on ’80s hair metal, and that music is still in my DNA. I’m always trying to make albums that represent where I’m at and what I’m feeling, but I’ve never had any sort of game plan. I didn’t set out to become an outlaw country artist. I’m just doing whatever feels right in the current moment… and right now, this ’80s metal album just feels right.”
Space Brain also features Williams’ and Cody Jinks’ previously released gritty take on Ozzy Osbourne’s “Flying High Again”. The album follows his 2022 LP Waging Peace, which received widespread acclaim from Forbes, No Depression, The Bluegrass Situation and Holler who hailed the release as “smartly arranged, intricate and inventive.”
From Alex:
“My dad got me into 80s metal. When I was a kid, he had a bunch of Skid Row, Cinderella, and Motley Crue CDs that I would pick through.
“A couple summers ago, I was shooting an acoustic session in Illinois with my friend Luke, and we got to talking and listening to our favorite tunes from that time. He mentioned doing an album of covers, and I thought it was a cool idea.
“The next day, I called Logan at Lightning Rod Records, and he was excited about the project. I spent the next several months working up alternate versions of my favorite songs from the 80s. I think the best part of the process was being able to strip back and rework those songs, and discover the great lyrics underneath the loud guitars that I hadn’t noticed until I started working on them. Working with longtime friend and great producer/engineer Ben Fowler, these songs were elevated in the best way by an incredible crew of musicians.
The Songs:
NIGHTTRAIN – Nighttrain is my favorite song on Appetite for Destruction and also where I pulled the album title from in the lyric “Feeling like a space brain one more time tonight.” Seemed like an accurate description of myself.
ACE OF SPADES – It goes without saying that this song is a classic, and I’m such a fan of Motörhead’s first record. The raw intensity of Lemmy’s vocals are unmatched. It took me a good while to find a groove that worked well for this one, but once I slowed it down quite a bit, I found a pocket that felt right to me.
NOBODY’S FOOL – Cinderella might possibly be my favorite band in the 80’s, and I think it’s because of the blues rock elements they had, but more so Tom Keifer’s incredible vocals and fantastic songs. It is a great honor in my life to have him play guitar on this monster of a tune. The dude is a fuckin’ rockstar through and still brings it every night.
LOOK WHAT THE CAT DRAGGED IN – CC Deville’s intro riff on this song hooked me from the start, and I envisioned turning the whole thing into more of a shuffle. I’m glad it worked out the way it did.
WILD SIDE – Wild Side is my favorite Motley Crue song lyrically. Like many others on this record, I didn’t realize until after stripping things back to an acoustic guitar how much depth and weight these songs carry. This one is just timeless in the sense that it still holds relevance in the way the world is today.
YOUTH GONE WILD – Skid Row is another band that is up there at the top for me. It was really hard to choose what song off their first record because they’re all bangers. I chose Youth Gone Wild because to me, it’s a powerful anthem for the younger generation that feels misunderstood by society and authority…A great song about stickin’ it to the man. Another timeless classic.
YOU’VE GOT ANOTHER THING COMIN’ – I love Judas Priest and Rob Halford is a legend. I was 10 years old The first time I heard this song. It was featured in a soundtrack to a video game called GTA Vice City, which introduced me to many other great songs including Yankee Rose, by David Lee Roth.
GETTIN’ BETTER – I vividly remember many nights in the car with my dad listening to Tesla’s Five Man Acoustical Jam album as a kid. It was a live album recorded at the Trocadero Theatre in Philadelphia, and in turn I take great pride in being able to say I got to play there. I still constantly listen to this album and am inspired by Jeff Keith’s vocal delivery, especially on tunes like “The Way It Is” and the “Signs” cover. “Gettin Better” has an optimistic message, and it felt like the perfect closer because it brings me back to my childhood and connection to my Dad as a kid.