Manic Street Preachers are planning a "heavy metal Motown" album.

The 'Design For Life' hitmakers are preparing to return to the studio to work on the follow up to the critically acclaimed 'Journal For Plague Lovers' and bassist Nicky Wire has promised something radically different with their next offering.

He said: "It's gonna be heavy metal Tamla Motown. Van Halen playing The Supremes! I know there's a lot of creativity in us and obviously because I didn't write lyrics on the last record, I've got tons of words done.

"I know we're not gonna be short of material, but obviously it's got to be different to 'Journal For Plague Lovers'."

Singer James Dean Bradfield recently said he wanted to bring more "joy" to their next record.

He told BANG Showbiz: "I think we're going to try and create an experience that brings a bit more joy.

"I think we've always reacted against ourselves. When we made 'This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours' it was our biggest-selling record in the world and then we made a clattery experimental punk album in 'Know Your Enemy' and managed to downgrade all our sales."