"Legendary Child," the first single from Aero-smith's upcoming album, "Music From Another Dimension," is a raucous reminder of what the Bad Boys from Boston are all about.

"What we wanted to do was put out a song that said, 'This is Aerosmith, and we're a rock band, and we're back.' And 'Legendary Child' fit the bill," lead guitarist Joe Perry said by phone from Atlanta.

It's been eight years since the band released a new album, and "Legendary Child" rekindles the fire of its heyday. (Indeed, the song was written and recorded in 1991 but never released.)

"There are definitely things about 'Legendary Child' that echo the music we did earlier in our career," Perry said. "It's got the right stuff."

Aerosmith, with sales of more than 150 million albums, is on a "Global Warming" tour with Cheap Trick, performing Wednesday at the Tacoma Dome.

In addition to "Legendary Child" and another new song, "Oh Yeah," the band led by Perry and singer Steven Tyler is performing such classics as "Love in an Elevator," "Sweet Emotion," "Dream On" and "Walk This Way."

"Music From Another Dimension" should be out the first week of December after several delays.

"We're grinding our teeth because we want it out there so bad," Perry said. "It's really a landmark record for us."

It's been a tumultuous eight years since Aerosmith's last album, "Honkin' on Bobo." During that time, Tyler fell off a stage and broke his shoulder and dealt with substance-abuse problems, then sobered up and joined the cast of "American Idol."

For the rest of the band, it was a time of recuperation from various illnesses and injuries. (Perry plans to reflect on the group's career in an autobiography due out next year.)

Despite all the mean things band members said about Tyler after he joined "American Idol" — including talk of replacing him — Perry said sore feelings resulted from poor communication.

"I think it was more about the shock of him doing 'American Idol' and not telling us," he said. "That was really it. If we had known, we could have planned around it."

Looking back, Perry thinks "Idol" made a lot of sense for Ty-ler.

"It was perfect for him and his one-liners, and he's a character," Perry said. "And he certainly has great ears."

But the question remains: Do the guys still like each other?

"Yeah; as a matter of fact, we do," Perry said. "But sometimes the media gets you in the heat of the moment, and it gets out.

"The bottom line is that life goes on, and we talk about stuff and sort it out. We don't want the band to break up, but sometimes we need space. If you stay in the bubble too long, it can be very destructive, creatively and emotionally."

Gene Stout: gene@genestout.com