Hopefully I didn’t give you any horrible visuals with that headline; at any rate, the band just kicked off a tour and will release a new album this summer, putting rumors of a breakup to rest.

Of course, any band who have stayed together over several decades are going to have their share of drama and tiffs, and Aerosmith has had as many problems as one band can have and still survive. Through their early years–which were filled with drugs and booze–and into rock icon status, they have managed to keep it together like a dedicated married couple would; but all that almost changed when lead singer Steven Tyler and guitarist Joe Perry had a huge falling out over Tyler’s stage antics during their 2009 tour– in which he fell and injured himself–forcing the group to shut everything down. Rumors of a breakup were imminent, as was talk of the band simply replacing Steven Tyler…which never would have worked.

Now, the group says, they are functioning better than ever and are preparing for the start of their tour and brand new album, which will be their first since “Just Push Play” was released in 2001. “Music From Another Dimension” is also the first album Tyler and Perry have collaborated on when it comes to writing duties since then, something the two are excited about. They both say that what emerged from their latest songwriting is like a “fine wine” and was at least ten years in the making, but that it couldn’t have worked any other way.

“It’s the same bottle man. We just corked it. Everything that was cooking inside and fermenting to that just right year just happened to be now. It was the perfect time,” Tyler said.

The “Global Warming” tour began on Saturday in Minneapolis and continues through the summer.