Taking the narrative in that book (with specific references noted in the booklet), the ideas / pictures evolved into songs that cover those concepts in a modern context.Īs an example, take “The Betrayal of Joshua Kynde,” a fantastic up tempo, piano and flute led song about betrayal. Ian Anderson has said that this album began with the idea of having songs focused on particular human emotions or traits… and he referred to the Bible, which came to mind when considering some of those. What I can say at the outset is that this is a great sounding Tull album! All of the elements you’d want are present and correct, with excellent musicianship, great production and the man himself in great voice and flute! Like any vocalist, the ravages of touring and age mean that singers have to evolve over the years, and this album has Ian’s distinctive tones at front and centre – and he’s sounding great! So to that extent, this is a continuation of the solid body of work that has flowed from the pen of Ian Anderson. The players who feature here have, in most cases, been part of the line up since 2007, and so this is essentially the band that made Thick As A Brick 2 and Homo Eraticus albums, as well as the related touring. Teased by two strong singles, and now signed to Inside Out, The Zealot Gene gets 2022’s prog releases off to a fantastic start.įar from being the lockdown album, the songs and recordings that feature here had their origins as far back as 2017.

When a legendary prog band with a 50+ year heritage releases its first new studio album in 20 years, of course we sit up and take notice.

Jethro tull rock opera review