Ricky Warwick has joined forces with Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen for a brand-new single, as the rock ’n’ roll lifer prepares to release his forthcoming studio album, Fire & Vengeance.
Fresh from taking to the stage with The Almighty at Iron Maiden’s EddFest at Knebworth, Warwick has premiered the swaggering new track “Seek Zen Destroy”, featuring Collen on guitar and backing vocals.
The song offers another fiery preview of Fire & Vengeance, which will be released on Friday 4th September 2026 through Earache Records.
And because simply releasing a thunderous new album apparently wasn’t enough, Warwick has also announced a special run of intimate UK record shop performances and signing sessions this September.
Basically, Ricky is bringing the riffs directly to the people. Proper job. 🤘
🎸 RICKY WARWICK MEETS PHIL COLLEN
“Seek Zen Destroy” sees two hugely respected figures from British rock joining forces.
Warwick brings his unmistakable gravel-soaked voice, streetwise songwriting and punk-fired attitude, while Phil Collen adds his signature guitar style and backing vocals.
Best known for his decades of stadium-conquering work with Def Leppard, Collen gives the track an extra flash of polished guitar fire without sanding away Warwick’s rougher edges.
The result is a muscular rock song packed with attitude, groove and a chorus designed to sound enormous when blasted through a festival sound system.
The accompanying music video has been filmed in stark black and white and features appearances from both Warwick and Collen.
🕺 FUNK, SOUL AND A LARGE HELPING OF ROCK ’N’ ROLL
Although “Seek Zen Destroy” arrives with plenty of hard-rock weight, Warwick has revealed that the track also nods towards some of his favourite 1970s funk and soul artists.
Influences including The Isley Brothers, Funkadelic and Earth, Wind & Fire can be heard within the song’s grooves, giving the track a slightly different flavour from your standard boots-down, fists-up rock anthem.
Don’t panic, though. Ricky Warwick hasn’t suddenly traded his leather jacket for a glittery disco suit.
The guitars are still loud, the vocals are still lived-in and the overall result remains unmistakably Warwick.
However, there is a bounce underneath the heaviness that gives “Seek Zen Destroy” a swaggering pulse. It’s the sort of track that gets heads nodding before the first chorus has even landed.
💥 WHAT IS “SEEK ZEN DESTROY” ABOUT?
Lyrically, the new song takes aim at control, hypocrisy, fear and the way uncomfortable ideas can be repackaged and sold as comfort.
Warwick describes the song as an attack on false salvation and the modern habit of offering people peace while quietly taking away their freedom.
It explores a world in which rebellion, spirituality, identity and even truth can be branded, marketed and sold back to the public.
In other words, this isn’t simply a catchy rock tune about motorbikes, whisky and staying out past bedtime.
There’s some proper bite underneath the groove.
At its heart, the song asks how people are supposed to find genuine meaning in a world filled with division, distraction, manufactured outrage and beautifully packaged nonsense.
Cheery stuff, then — but delivered with enough swagger to make the revolution sound like a cracking night out.
🔥
FIRE & VENGEANCE
ARRIVES IN SEPTEMBER
“Seek Zen Destroy” is taken from Warwick’s forthcoming ten-track album, Fire & Vengeance.
The record follows his 2025 album Blood Ties, which reached number 25 on the UK Albums Chart and marked a creative return to Warwick’s Northern Irish roots after nearly two decades living in California. (Metal Planet Music)
The title track was released in May and captured the grit, camaraderie and chaos of life on the road through backstage footage, travelling, stage walks and roaring live crowds.
According to Warwick, the new album is intended to capture everything he loves about rock ’n’ roll — particularly its ability to bring people together during difficult and divided times.
It promises to move between tattooed blue-collar rock anthems, Rolling Stones-style balladry and the traditional Irish music Warwick heard while growing up in County Down.
That combination should come as no surprise to anyone who has followed his career.
Warwick has always been just as comfortable delivering a snarling electric rocker as he is standing alone with an acoustic guitar and a story worth telling.
🌟 A SERIOUS GUEST LIST
Phil Collen isn’t the only familiar face appearing on Fire & Vengeance.
The album will also feature contributions from:
- Doug Aldrich — Whitesnake and The Dead Daisies
- Charlie Starr — Blackberry Smoke
- Darren Holden — The High Kings
- Phil Collen — Def Leppard
Warwick once again worked closely on the songs with producer and guitarist Keith Nelson, who also collaborated with him on Blood Ties.
That guest list gives the album connections to classic hard rock, Southern rock, blues, Irish folk and stadium-sized melodic rock.
Not bad company to have knocking around the studio, is it?
🛍️ UK IN-STORE TOUR ANNOUNCED
To celebrate the release of Fire & Vengeance, Warwick will embark on a nine-date UK in-store tour during September.
The run will include stripped-back performances, album signings and opportunities for fans to experience the new material in far more intimate surroundings than Warwick’s usual full-band shows.
These appearances are expected to be tied to album purchases or special ticket bundles through the participating record shops, with availability varying between locations.
Ricky Warwick’s September 2026 in-store dates
Sunday 6th September
Crash Records — Leeds
Monday 7th September
Jacaranda Baltic — Liverpool
Tuesday 8th September
Assai Records — Glasgow
Tuesday 8th September
Assai Records — Edinburgh
Wednesday 9th September
Beyond Vinyl — Newcastle
Thursday 10th September
Rough Trade — Nottingham
Friday 11th September
Rough Trade Denmark Street — London
Saturday 12th September
Bacchus — Kingston
Sunday 13th September
Vinilo Record Store — Southampton
The London event at Rough Trade Denmark Street is advertised as a stripped-back performance and signing session. (DICE)
🤘 FULL TOUR TO FOLLOW IN NOVEMBER
The record shop appearances won’t be Warwick’s only UK and Ireland shows connected to the album.
Ricky Warwick & The Fighting Hearts will launch a full Fire & Vengeance tour in November, beginning in Limerick and visiting venues across Ireland and the UK.
The run will eventually conclude with a headline appearance at Planet Rockstock at Trecco Bay in Porthcawl.
Yes, butt — the tour is finishing here in Wales. Tidy! 🐉
Fire & Vengeance
UK and Ireland tour
Thursday 5th November
Dolans — Limerick
Friday 6th November
The Grand Social — Dublin
Sunday 8th November
Limelight 2 — Belfast
Tuesday 10th November
La Belle Angele — Edinburgh
Wednesday 11th November
KK’s Steel Mill — Wolverhampton
Thursday 12th November
Rescue Rooms — Nottingham
Friday 13th November
Gorilla — Manchester
Saturday 14th November
Anarchy Brew Co. — Newcastle
Wednesday 18th November
Chinnerys — Southend
Thursday 19th November
The 100 Club — London
Friday 20th November
The Waterfront — Norwich
Saturday 21st November
The Six Six Bar — Cambridge
Sunday 22nd November
Thekla — Bristol
Wednesday 25th November
Kola — Portsmouth
Thursday 26th November
Planet Rockstock, Trecco Bay — Porthcawl
🎤 NEARLY FOUR DECADES OF DEFIANCE
Warwick has spent close to 40 years refusing to follow anybody else’s rulebook.
He first made his name fronting The Almighty, whose blend of punk energy, hard-rock muscle and working-class grit earned them a dedicated following throughout the late 1980s and 1990s.
He later became the frontman of Thin Lizzy and helped form Black Star Riders, while also developing an extensive solo career and touring with The Fighting Hearts.
Through every chapter, Warwick’s strongest weapon has remained his songwriting.
His lyrics combine autobiography, social commentary, politics, cynicism, humour and genuine heart, usually delivered through songs that sound as though they’ve been hammered into shape in rehearsal rooms, backstage corridors and late-night bars.
That experience appears to run throughout Fire & Vengeance.
Warwick has said that he doesn’t need to disappear into a luxurious studio or isolated mountain cabin to create music. Give him a room and a guitar, and the ideas arrive.
That working-class immediacy could be exactly what gives the new album its sense of urgency.
🔥 THE RIFF REPORT VERDICT
Ricky Warwick has never sounded particularly interested in slowing down.
With The Almighty back onstage, another Fighting Hearts tour approaching and a new solo album ready to land, the Northern Irish rocker appears to be operating with more fire than musicians half his age.
“Seek Zen Destroy” combines a serious message with a loose, infectious groove, while Phil Collen’s appearance brings some additional Def Leppard-sized guitar sparkle to proceedings.
More importantly, the collaboration doesn’t feel like a celebrity guest spot awkwardly bolted onto the side.
Collen’s playing fits naturally alongside Warwick’s voice and songwriting, making the track feel like a genuine meeting of rock ’n’ roll minds.
With Fire & Vengeance arriving on 4th September, followed by intimate record shop appearances and a full UK and Ireland tour, Ricky Warwick fans have plenty to look forward to.
Big riffs, sharp words, famous friends and a final tour stop on Welsh soil?
That’ll do nicely, mun. 🔥🤘
Are you looking forward to Fire & Vengeance, and will you be catching Ricky Warwick at one of the in-store appearances or full-band shows? Let us know in the comments.
Proudly Welsh. Proudly Loud.
#RickyWarwick #PhilCollen #DefLeppard #FireAndVengeance #TheRiffReport
