UFO drummer Andy Parker has issued the following update:

"Thought it was about time that I brought you up to date with what's been happening on the UFO front recently. As most of you know, we finished touring at the end of August '08 and after some well deserved rest we began collecting material for a new album. Everyone pitched in ideas so there was plenty of stuff to chose from.

"We all met up in Hannover towards the end of January and after a few days in a rehearsal room we came up with a short list of thirteen songs. At this point Phil [Mogg; vocals] and Vinnie [Moore; guitar] headed home to work on their parts while myself, Paul [Raymond; keyboards, guitar], our surrogate bassist (oddly enough also called Peter) and drum tech extraordinaire Andre headed to Area 51 studios in Celle to record drum tracks with our old pal Tommy Newton. This was my first time at Tommy's studio and I have to say I am extremely happy with the results. I had already decided that for this album I wanted to try and 'get back to my roots' a bit, as far as the drum sound was concerned and I was not disappointed. Thanks to the combined efforts of Andre and Tommy, the kit sounded amazing and the whole experience was thoroughly enjoyable. Interspersed with cups of Andre's special tea and large doses of Rab C. Nesbitt (one of Tommy's favourites), our work days were fun and productive — as you can see from the photos! I for one can't wait to hear the finished tracks.

"Of course, the one downer in all of this was the absence of Mr. Way [UFO bassist Pete Way]. Those of you who have read the news release will already know the reason [Way is dealing with a medical condition which affects his liver], so I won't go into it again. Suffice to say that we all wish him a speedy recovery and hope to see him back on top very soon.

"That is about all for now. Phil is heading to Germany once again to begin recording vocals. We are hoping that the album will be released some time in May/June to coincide with the start of our touring schedule."

UFO's latest CD, "The Monkey Puzzle", came out in September 2006 via SPV Records. The follow-up to 2004's "You Are Here" was recorded at Area 51 studios with producer Tommy Newton, who also worked with the band on their prior album and who recorded the material for the band's "Showtime" live CD.