Afterglow (Black Country Communion album)

Following the release of their second album 2 in 2011, Black Country Communion embarked on a promotional tour of the United States and Europe, and later released the video album Live Over Europe documenting a number of shows on the tour.[2] In January 2012 it was reported that the band would begin work on the follow-up to 2 in June, with a release planned for later in the year.[3] The writing process for the album, according to main songwriter Glenn Hughes, took approximately six months, compared to six weeks for Black Country and four months for 2.[4]

The group began recording sessions for Afterglow on June 10, 2012.[5] As with their previous two albums, BCC released a number of behind-the-scenes video clips of the recording process leading up to the album's announcement.[6] Speaking about the recording of the album, Hughes has praised the vocal sound achieved by producer Kevin Shirley, stating that "We butted heads a little on the first and second albums, simply because we're both control freaks, but this was the record on which Kevin and [I] became friends".[7]

The majority of the material for Afterglow was written by frontman Glenn Hughes, who has cited Joe Bonamassa's extensive solo touring schedule as the main barrier to the guitarist's heightened involvement in the composition of the album.[4] Speaking for an official press release, Hughes has pointed out, in reference to his approach to Afterglow, that "I wanted to make a record that stood up to the first two, but not to repeat either of those records. There would be absolutely no point beginning it with a song like 'Black Country'".[7]

The first details regarding the band's third album, including the title Afterglow and the cover artwork, were released at the end of August in 2012.[4] The first song to be released from Afterglow was "Confessor", which was made available as a free digital download from the band's official website on September 19, 2012.[9]