After a decade-plus gap between studio albums, Whitesnake makes its debut on SPV with "Good To Be Bad," due April 22.

"The album contains all the elements that I enjoy about Whitesnake," frontman David Coverdale tells Billboard.com. "The responses I've been getting are that the album is a heady cocktail that embraces the whole history of Whitesnake within one album. Which was not planned, but fortunately, I'll drink two of those cocktails!"

Joining Coverdale on "Good To Be Bad" are several longtime Whitesnake touring members, such as guitarists Doug Aldrich (Dio) and Reb Beach (Winger), bassist Uriah Duffy (Christina Aguilera), keyboardist Timothy Drury (Don Henley) and drummer Chris Frazier (Steve Vai). "I'm thrilled with these musicians," gushes Coverdale. "They've lasted longer with me than any other lineup, which speaks volumes. Great players."

While plans for a U.S. tour are still being firmed up, Coverdale and company are about to launch a European co-headlining tour with another '80s hit-making machine, Def Leppard. "Both Joe [Elliot] and I are old friends. We knew it was going to do well, but even we're surprised how incredibly successful it's become," he says. "We've added more shows, because all the arenas pretty much sold out three months before the shows."

Also upcoming for Coverdale will be a remastered three-disc set to mark Whitesnake's 30th anniversary, which he says will "embrace the beginning right up until now -- including some Coverdale/Page and solo Coverdale material." A live Whitesnake DVD is in the works as well.

And just what was it that jolted Coverdale out of retirement to rock once more? "I was asked to tour with the Scorpions in 2003. I went out for two months and ended up coming back nine months later, with a smile a mile wide and a couple of camels loaded with cash," he says. "My wife said, 'Oh, this is a good job -- why don't you do this six months out of the year?' So I thought this is an opportunity to keep me happy and make other people happy, too."