Brantley Gilbert will release his fifth studio album, Fire & Brimstone, tomorrow (Friday, 10/4), and like all of his previous albums, this one represents the latest chapter in his life. It also follows his pattern of choosing a spiritual or faith-based title, like his previous albums, Halfway to Heaven and The Devil Don’t Sleep. Brantley explains,

“There’s a reason for that. You know, I’m a lot of things. I’m rough around the edges, to say the least. Even being a married dad, you know, I still hang out with a rough crowd. Those are my people, but my one true north has always been my faith and my wife and I have that in common, and this record is kind of just about being comfortable in your own skin in spite of judgment. Fire & Brimstone is kind of just, be the best version of you that you know how to be.”

While Brantley is now a father of two and very happily married, and he no longer drinks, fans should know there are still plenty of party songs on his new album, with songs like “Fire’t Up,” “Not Like Us” and “New Money.”

“Some of the rowdy stuff, you know, I might have to look back in time for it because I’m not at a field party every Thursday, Friday, Saturday night. But, you know, when we’re on the road and we’re playing shows, that’s a party. I’ve still got the adrenaline and the intensity and the party side of me. That’s still very much a part of my life and I love it.”

Brantley’s current life is reflected on Fire & Brimstone in some deeply personal and emotional songs like “Bad Boy,” “Man That Hung the Moon” and “Man of Steel.” In those songs and others, he says,

“You’ll hear a lot about my wife, a lot about my son, just a lot about, really, where my head’s at. It’s like, you can listen to that record front to back and you can kinda tell where I’m at as a man and as a husband and as a dad, and it kind of gives you a little of the background on how I got there, and it’s just kind of a heart on my sleeve thing. Here you are.”

When it came to choosing songs for Fire & Brimstone, Brantley scrutinized each song to make sure it fits the story he’s trying to tell, and that it balances out the record. He intended to make a standard 10 – 12 song album because he says,

“I have a bad habit of burning songs. These days, the way people consume music is so different. You know, a lot of times you put too many songs on an album, there’s just too many to give each one a life. But, we ended up with 15. I’m really proud of the 15 we got.”

Fire & Brimstone features Brantley and Lindsay Ell’s current top ten hit, “What Happens In A Small Town,” and he can’t wait to celebrate the album this Friday with a special USO show at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio.

“Every time I work with the military, something happens and changes my life drastically. They’re batting a thousand on just being influential in my life and changing my perception on life itself, every time we get a chance to partner up and do something. So being able to celebrate an album release with the USO is just … it’s an honor to be able to go out and play a show, especially for our military, it’s amazing, special, and I’m looking forward to the fourth.”

Brantley’s Fire & Brimstone album release celebration USO concert will be streamed live on his Facebook page beginning at 6 PM central time (7 PM eastern time) Friday, October 4th.

Listen for “What Happens In A Small Town” by Brantley Gilbert featuring Lindsay Ell on Bloomington-Normal’s #1 Country, B104.

Let us know what you think of Brantley Gilbert’s new album Fire & Brimstone when you get it.