MC5 Announce First New Album In 53 Years ‘Heavy Lifting’

MC5 have announced they will release a new album, titled Heavy Lifting, on October 18th via EarMusic. The record will mark the band’s first studio release in 53 years.

Bob Ezrin produced the album , which was spearheaded by the late founding guitarist of the band, Wayne Kramer. The album features performances by original MC5 drummer Dennis Thomson, who passed away in May, on two songs.

Slash, Tom Morello, Alice in Chains‘ William DuVall, Living Colour guitarist Vernon Reid and Don Was are among the guests featured on the upcoming record. Kramer co-wrote 12 of the album’s 13 songs.

The album is “very heavy,” said producer Ezrin. “It has a revolutionary message but also a good sense of humor. There’s a little bit of heavy metal. There’s quite a bit of funk. But it is a heavy record, and it’s a guitar record left, right and center.”

“Just a wall of guitars most of the time, and mostly driven by Wayne and his ethos,” he added. “It’s a snapshot of a guitar man at the height of his powers. We all feel a responsibility to make sure that his work is heard, and he is celebrated. We poured our hearts into the project.” The record will be available in CD, vinyl and digital formats; two-CD and two-LP versions featuring bonus tracks of MC5 classics will also be available.