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2013 is going to be a big year for Thin Lizzy with a new record on the way, and a new band name to go with it!

The group, who we will soon being referring to as “the artists formally known as ‘Thin Lizzy’”, is currently made up of singer Ricky Warwick, bassist Marco Mendoza, drummer Brian Downey, guitarists Scott Gorham and Damon Johnson and keyboardist Darren Wharton.

On Monday (December 17th), Warwick took to the Thin Lizzy official Facebook page to tease: “The Big Announcement with new band name and more details on the new album etc will be released on Christmas Eve on this page – stay tuned!” In a recent interview with Metal Express, Damon Johnson explains that the name change comes in part of the effort to preserve the memory of the band’s late lead singer, Phil Lynott, who passed away in 1986. While the band has been touring as Thin Lizzy for years, original members Scott Gorham and Brian Downey were reluctant to put out an album of new material under the name; the last effort from Thin Lizzy was 1983’s Thunder and Lightning.

Johnson says, “It was a question for Brian and Scott all along. We’re grateful for the massive support we’ve got from Phil’s family, his widow and his daughters. They’ve been very supportive of everything that Thin Lizzy has done, particular since Ricky joined. But I know they expressed some concern about the concept of brand-new original material.” The guitarist goes on to explain that the name change actually took an abundance of pressure off of the group to try and make a record that would pay tribute to the original Thin Lizzy lineup, as opposed to harnessing the talents of their current members.

Still, Johnson thinks that the new album will appeal to all fans, both old and new, stating, “People who are passionate about the sound that Thin Lizzy has, they’re gonna get a lot of that classic sound with this new record.”

Thin Lizzy is set to head to Australia in the New Year for a series of concerts with KISS and Motley Crue.