Portishead guitarist Adrian Utley has described the band’s battle to make their third album.

'Third', released on April 28, is the follow-up to the band’s second album, 1997’s 'Portishead'.

Speaking to BBC News, Utley said: “After [1994 debut] 'Dummy' we had to make the second record, 'Portishead', and that was a hellish time, it really was.

“There was pressure internally – there was a sense of ‘Got to get it done, got to get it done’.”

Both Utley and band mate Geoff Barrow split from their wives during the troublesome first sessions for the album, during which the band were determined not to repeat the sound of their early work.

Utley explained: “Those years were quite dark from then on. There were times when I thought ‘This is not going to happen’. There were times when I thought ‘We’re not going to be able to do it, or I’m going to die trying’.”

The album is preceded by single ‘Machine Gun’, out on April 14. A download of the single is available from April 10.