Multifaceted and mega talented grandson of country pioneer Hank Williams, Hank3 has recently announced the release of not one, not two, but THREE new albums to drop this October. The first, a double album entitled Brothers Of The 4X4, and the second a punk album, A Fiendish Threat, will be released following the haze of his tour beginning in August.

Photo : Raymond Flotat

The original announcement for these albums was rife with speculation, as the post on Hank3’s website mentioned only small teasers.

Now, however, an official press release has dropped, thoroughly describing both albums and their respective and wildly different sounds.

Double album Brothers Of The 4X4 features two discs of down-home redneck country music. The kind that you listen to while mud-whomping in your 4X4 heading out to your favorite fishin’ and huntin’ spot. It’s country music with a can of whoop-ass and a bottle of moonshine. It is no doubt a nod to his grandfather, Hank Williams, whose The Lost Concerts Limited Collector’s Edition was released just last year, nearly 60 years after his death. Hank3 was interviewed recently regarding life in a country music home and proudly discusses a record in his vinyl collection featuring two unreleased tracks by his legendary grandfather. While Hank3 has a profoundly different style as a metal singer than grandfather Hank Williams, this new album undoubtedly brought the artist back to his roots.

Even more profoundly different is his other album to be released this fall, Fiendish Threat is neither metal or country. It’s punk rock. Not typical punk rock, either. As Hank3 has proven, he is no stranger to new and different styles of music. This punk rock album features traditionally non-punk instruments: stand up bass, fiddle, and banjo, and at times an eerie sounding Hawaiian guitar.

Both albums took around 4 months to complete, with Hank3 having written, recorded, mixed, mastered, and produced both albums on his own and released on his own label. The albums come with a dynamite set of new musicians, a project Hank3 has dubbed “3”, featuring the talents of Zach Shedd on stand-up bass, David McElfresh and Billy Contreras on fiddle, Daniel Mason on banjo, Andy Gibson on stand-up steel guitar, and long-time collaborator Johnny Hiland shredding on guitar. Hank3 himself is featured on guitar and drums.

The albums are reported to be released October 1, 2013.