BRIAN WHEAT On New TESLA Album 'Shock': 'Some People Hate It, Some People Love It'

TESLA bassist Brian Wheat has weighed in on the reception to the band's latest studio album, "Shock", which has divided fans due to its lighter, pop-like sound, with some blaming its direction on producer and DEF LEPPARD guitarist Phil Collen, who co-wrote many of its tracks. The disc was recorded piecemeal while TESLA was on tour with DEF LEPPARD, with some of the tracking taking place in backstage areas and hotel room lobbies.

"Some people hate it, some people love it," Wheat said in a recent interview with SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation". "I tell you, after five weeks, six weeks, it's leaning more toward, 'You know, it had to grow on me. I'm actually enjoying it now.' That's the thing, that's why we called it 'Shock'. We knew it was going to shock people. The other thing is, we couldn't just continue to do the same record over and over and over again, so we tried something different. It's cool. The songs go down well live, I see people singing, our fans are in there singing 'Shock', singing 'Taste Like', singing '[Tied To The] Tracks', singing 'Take Me Alive'. It's cool. Look, after so many years, I'm glad we're able to make another record because not the first on everyone's agenda anymore."

"Shock" was released March 8 via UMe and is the follow-up to 2014's "Simplicity".

Collen previously co-wrote and produced the TESLA song "Save That Goodness", which was released in August 2016 and included on the "Mechanical Resonance Live!" album.

TESLA's current lineup includes four of the five original members: Jeff Keith (vocals),Frank Hannon (guitars),Wheat and Troy Luccketta (drums). Guitarist Dave Rude joined in 2006 as the replacement for Tommy Skeoch.