Nick D’Virgilio (Big Big Train), Neal Morse (Transatlantic, NMB) & Ross Jennings (Haken, Novena) kehren mit ihrem heute erschienenen Album Sophomore zurück und setzen ihre Erkundung von mehr akustisch geprägter Musik und dreistimmigen Gesangsharmonien fort. Zur Feier des Tages hat die Band ein Live-Video zum Song The Weary One veröffentlicht, das Anfang des Jahres in Neals Studio aufgenommen wurde. Den kompletten Clip könnt ihr euch hier ansehen:
Sophomore ist erhältlich als Limited CD Edition (inkl. 2 Bonustracks), Ltd Gatefold Transparent Red LP, Ltd Gatefold Transparent Blue LP & als Digitales Album. Jetzt hier bestellen: https://dvirgiliomorsejennings.lnk.to/Sophomore
Die Band kommentiert die Veröffentlichung des Albums:
Ross Jennings: „I’m so glad the three of us got to do this again and I couldn’t be happier with how our Sophomore record successfully continues to expand upon what we set out to achieve with Troika.“
Neal Morse: “It’s release day for DMJ album number two! If you enjoyed the first one, there’s lots more for you to dive into in album number two. We’ve combined the vocals – which is what this band is all about – with many diverse musical styles. And all the guys brought their songwriting A game to this one. I can’t wait for you all to hear it!”
Nick D’Virgilio: “I love record release day! It’s always very exciting knowing that the thing you worked so hard to create can now be shared with the whole world. Although „worked so hard“ are not really the right words to use. It was a total „labor of love“ creating Sophomore with Ross and Neal. Those are the right words. I hope you enjoy the music as much as we did making it!”
Seht euch den zuvor veröffentlichten Clip zu Anywhere The Wind Blows hier an: https://youtu.be/NSLKOQ-JPMs
Seht euch den bereits veröffentlichten Clip zu Tiny Little Fires hier an: https://youtu.be/RyW0iMu-_lU?si=EtYUxZqqUuuL8UIk
Sophomore – Tracklisting:
1. Hard To Be Easy
2. Linger At The Edge Of My Memory
3. Tiny Little Fires
4. Right Where You Should Be
5. The Weary One
6. Mama
7. I’m Not Afraid
8. Weighs Me Down
9. Walking On Water
10. Anywhere The Wind Blows
(Vollansicht im Time For Metal Release-Kalender hier)
Die drei Musiker begannen Ende 2022 mit dem Austausch von Songideen, bevor sie zehn davon auswählten, um sie im Januar 2023 aufzunehmen. “I think there was always a plan in the back of everybody’s minds about doing a second one. We just got the conversation started and then started checking out some tunes. There were a lot of songs that were a little less fleshed out than with the first album, but once we got the ball rolling, it kind of went really fast”, sagt Nick D’Virgilio.
Für die drei Mitglieder ist diese Gruppe etwas ganz Besonderes. Morse erklärt:
“I’ve never been part of a group that was like this one. Most people know I’m a big CSN fan and I love Yes’s three-part harmonies and The Beatles as well. My dad was a choir director, so harmonies are in my blood! DMJ is a special group that is its own unique cup of tea and has such a nice flavor. Great blend. The main thing for me is to be working on good songs; it doesn’t matter to me who writes them or necessarily that much about styles. If the songs are good, then I’m all about it.”
Jennings stimmt dem zu:
“I’m a huge fan of country and folk music, I love the three-part harmony style. As a vocalist known for progressive metal releases, prior to forming the band I could never have predicted that I’d be considered to be part of a group making music like this. It’s still mind-blowing to me since I’d never officially recorded and released any music of this genre to prove that I can do it. Making these records with Nick and Neal has been such a pleasant and rewarding experience. It’s funny how things work out sometimes!”
D’Virgilio, Morse & Jennings – online:
https://www.facebook.com/ndvofficial/
https://www.facebook.com/nealmorse/
https://www.facebook.com/rossjenningsofficial/