"We feel that Epitaph has a natural understanding of Social Distortion; both the history of the band and the direction we want to go," says frontman Mike Ness. "Combine that with their successful track record and it felt like a good next step for us. We've always been open to new ideas and pushing the envelope, but we have also been very conscientious about the decisions we've made. We considered a lot of options, but in the end, Epitaph feels like the right home for us. We're looking forward to taking this step forward, opening some new doors with this upcoming album and this next chapter of Social Distortion."

"My relationship with Mike goes way back to the beginnings of our careers in the LA music scene," adds Epitaph owner and president Brett Gurewitz. "Through the years Social Distortion have been a matchless voice in American rock and roll and I couldn't be more thrilled to play a part in the next chapter for this great band."

In March the band entered a Burbank studio to record their yet to be titled seventh studio album, produced by Mike Ness, which is slated for release this fall.

"We went back to tape, old compressors and old microphones," Ness recently told Spinner.com. "We're just really trying to fight modern technology as much as possible."

"The record reminds me very much of Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell (the band's 1992 release), but also I'm bringing elements of early New York '70s punk," said Ness.

Social Distortion also recently announced a U.S. summer tour with Dan Sartain and The Action Design. The tour kicks off July 27 in Poughkeepsie, NY and makes seven stops in the Northeast before the band heads to Chicago for an August 7 main stage performance at this year's Lollapalooza. Dates with Dan Sartain and The Action Design resume in Green Bay, Wisconsin on August 8. A complete list of tour dates follows.