Matt Sorum has been behind the kit for some of rock's greatest bands -- Guns N' Roses, The Cult and Velvet Revolver -- but he's ready to take a turn in the spotlight with his new project, Matt Sorum's Fierce Joy.

The 'Stratosphere' album from his new project shows a change in direction for Sorum, who pulled from his passion for animal and human rights to influence the narrative and acoustic orchestration for the album. Sorum says, "Over the years I've been influenced by my surroundings and sometimes that hasn't always been for the better. But after years of soul searching I organically fell into a different state of mind. With many lessons learned along the way, it seemed like the perfect time to do a record in my own voice, if you will. It's as real and as exposed as anything I've ever offered in my career, and I hope you enjoy it."

The drummer also shows his versatility on the 'Stratosphere' album, not only taking over vocals but also handling acoustic guitar and piano duties. In addition, Sorum penned all of the tracks for the disc. Sorum says, "I've always played acoustic, so I wanted to use that as the feel of the record. I chose the musicians I wanted by records they had played on, and diverse instruments such as mellotron, slide guitar and ethnic percussion. I always wanted orchestration, so this album was the canvas for that as well."

The 'Stratosphere' album from Matt Sorum's Fierce Joy is due on March 11 via Rok Dok Recordings via Kobalt Label Services. Fans can pre-order the effort via iTunes and they'll immediately receive a download of the track 'The Sea." Sorum has also shot a series of webisodes on the making of the album and the first video can be seen just below the track listing.

Matt Sorum's Fierce Joy, 'Stratosphere' Track Listing

1. 'Intro - Stratosphere Part 1'
2. 'The Sea'
3. 'What Ziggy Says'
4. 'For the Wild Ones'
5. 'Goodbye to You'
6. 'Gone'
7. 'Lady of the Stone'
8. 'Ode to Nick Drake'
9. 'Blue'
10. 'Josephine'
11. 'Land of the Pure'
12. 'Killers N Lovers'
13. 'The Lonely Teardrop'
14. 'Outro - Stratosphere Part 2'

Watch the First Matt Sorum's Fierce Joy Webisode

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