The latest album from veteran Canadian rockers Danko Jones is Leo Rising. Frontman Danko Jones fills us in on the record and other subjects.
Chad Bowar: Was there anything unique about the songwriting process for Leo Rising compared to previous albums?
Danko Jones: Living apart from one another over the last three albums has solidified the process of sending files via the internet and working on songs that way. We still do manage to spend a few days in a rehearsal space while on the road, to bang out ideas for an upcoming album. This album, however, only yielded one idea that made the album.
What will be your strongest memory of the recording of the album?
Not sure, it all just blends into one long session. When it comes time to do my part, it’s pretty intense because it’s non-stop guitar for over a week and then singing till the session ends. If anything, it was getting Marty Friedman’s guitar parts sent to us and hearing it over what we had recorded already and hearing it coming together.
What was the biggest challenge in its creation?
We’re a hard rock band. It’s not rocket science and plus, we’ve been doing it for 12 albums now. We got this. If anything, it’s still a thrill to hear the ideas you laid out and recorded in your bedroom or a dressing room coming to life, one track at a time.
How did Marty Friedman’s guest appearance come about?
We’ve known Marty for almost 15 years. I appeared on his 2014 album, Inferno. I sang on three tracks. Since then we’ve made a few albums but were waiting for the right song to ask him to come play on our record. “Diamond In The Rough was a no-brainer. It was very Kiss-esque and I know Marty is a huge Kiss fan. So the song was screaming for him to solo on top.
How did the concept for the “Diamond In The Rough” video originate?
JC, our bass player, came up with the idea of getting a Kiss cover band to lip-sync the whole song. This worked because we wouldn’t be able to attend the shoot in Gothenburg where the director Patric Uleaus lived. Patric managed to get Wicked Kisser, a local Kiss tribute band. I added the idea of dressing up like the phantom of the park, just like their 1978 made-for-tv-movie. So it became a bit of a spoof. If nobody gets the reference, that’s ok too.
What inspired the album title?
Our first album was called Born A Lion. This is our 12th album. Your date of birth is called your sun sign and your rising sign correlates to your time of birth. There’s nothing deeper than that. There are 12 months in the year, 12 zodiac signs, etc. It was a nice bookend title that loosely harkened back to the first album.
What lyrical topics do you cover on this one?
Same as the last 11.
What were some of the highlights of your summer festival season?
I think playing with Iron Maiden off the top in Trondheim, Norway was a highlight that happened early on in the summer. Meeting CJ Ramone at Nova Rock and him knowing who I was kinda blew me away too. Playing Sweden Rock and Rock the Lakes were fun days too.
Where haven’t you played live that you’d still like to get to?
There are many places still left to play that we’d love to go, mainly, India, China, and we’d love to return to Japan. I personally would like to play Antartica because then we can say we played on all 7 continents.
What was your reaction to the recent deaths of Ozzy Osbourne and Ace Frehley?
Obviously, they are two people that have been with me my whole life. I loved the music they made and it’s a sadder place because they’re not around anymore. However, we have the music.
Were you surprised Rush will be touring again?
Yeah, I genuinely was surprised. That’s not what we were all led to believe. I never thought Rush would go out considering their age and how everyone thinks of the band as only those three musicians. But it’s good they’re going out to play the music that younger generations have never experienced live.
What’s one thing you do better than anyone you know?
I can worry better than anyone I know.
(interview published November 20, 2025)
