California punk act the Offspring has named former Rocket From The Crypt stickman Atom Willard as the drummer for its upcoming fall tour, with dates to be announced. As previously reported, longtime drummer Ron Welty exited the Offspring earlier this year to devote more time to other projects.
Welty’s role on the group’s next studio album has already been filled by veteran session drummer Josh Freese. The Columbia set has been christened “Splinter” and will be released Dec. 2. The Offspring had been threatening to title the album “Chinese Democrazy (You Snooze You Lose),” a parody of Guns N’ Roses endlessly delayed “Chinese Democracy.”
However, the group admitted on its official Web site that its attempts to move forward with that title “had brought production to a halt.”
The Brendan O’Brien-produced “Splinter” is the follow-up to 2000’s “Conspiracy of One,” which debuted at No. 9 on The Billboard 200.