The first release will be the track "Jade" on March 15, followed by the band's as yet untitled American debut set for a late Summer 2011 release.

"We are so honored to have X Japan as part of the EMI Label Services/Caroline family," commented Mike Harris, Executive Vice President/General Manager, EMI Label Services & Caroline Distribution. "After the highly successful North American tour last fall, the timing is perfect for the upcoming X Japan release."

Added Dominic Pandiscia, Executive Vice President EMI Music Services North America, "We are thrilled to have the opportunity to work with X Japan. They have cultivated a strong following in the U.S. and we look forward to working with them, helping to reach even more fans."

X Japan - Yoshiki/band leader/producer/songwriter/drums and piano, Toshi/vocals, Pata/guitar, Sugizo/guitar and violin, and Heath/bass - is in the studio putting the finishing touches on the album, the band's first new studio album since 1996 and fifth overall. Half of the songs will be culled from some of the band's Gold and Platinum Japanese singles; the other half are brand-new songs, and an estimated 95% of the lyrics are being sung in English.

"Some of the songs on this new album were originally written with Japanese lyrics," Yoshiki explained, "so translating them into English has been challenging. For some reason, English needs more words, so I ended up re-writing many of the lyrics but kept the same message."

Most of the album has been recorded in Los Angeles at Yoshiki's own studio. It's the same studio where Metallica recorded its classic "Black" album, and artists from Van Halen to Michael Jackson to KISS also recorded there before Yoshiki bought it and turned it into a private facility. Yoshiki, who lives in Los Angeles, traveled to Japan a handful of times to record with the rest of the band there. In addition, some of the album has been recorded live over the Internet, with Yoshiki in L.A. and the band's other members at their studio in Japan.