At 45 years and counting -- and a fair bit of the original lineup still intact -- Nazareth is one of the longest-tenured rock bands currently working. And despite rumors to the contrary, they don't seem to have any plans to hang it up anytime soon.

Bassist and founding member Pete Agnew took to the group's website in order to refute recent reports that Nazareth's upcoming appearance at the Swedish Helgeafestivalen Kristianstad Festival in August would be their final show. Not one to mince words, Agnew dismissed the rumors by saying, "This is, of course, a load of rubbish and I don’t know where these clowns get their stories from."

Not that Agnew was necessarily surprised to learn of the band's supposed retirement. "It won’t be the first time that promoters used these tactics to improve ticket sales and it won’t be the last," he explained. "I see on Facebook that some of you believed this and now the rumors start to fly, which only harms the band. As I’ve said before, if any big decision concerning the band is being made it will be announced by us."

As if to demonstrate Nazareth's continued commitment to rock, Agnew shared the news that the guys are currently in the studio assembling a new album, where they'll lay down tracks through the end of the month -- then head back out on the road for a two-month tour of the U.S. and Canada. The new LP, which will be the band's 23rd studio set, follows 2011's 'Big Dogz,' a Top 30 hit on the Russian charts.

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