TRANSATLANTIC – launch video for ‘The World We Used To Know’

11th December 2020 0 By Jon Deaux

TRANSATLANTIC – the Prog Supergroup of Neal Morse, Mike Portnoy, Roine Stolt & Pete Trewavas – are pleased to announce their fifth studio album ‘The Absolute Universe’, set for release on the 5^th February 2021. Representing the band’s first new music since 2014’s ‘Kaleidoscope’, with ‘The Absolute Universe’ the band have done something unique and created two versions of the record: ‘The Absolute Universe: The Breath Of Life (Abridged Version)’ & ‘The Absolute Universe: Forevermore (Extended Version)’.

Today they have launched the video for ‘The World We Used To Know’, taken from ‘The Absolute Universe: Forevermore (Extended Version)’.

Mike Portnoy comments: “The 2nd release from the upcoming Transatlantic album ‘The Absolute Universe’ features our Swedish Genie Mr Roine Stolt on lead vocals (in contrast to the 1st release which featured Neal, Pete & I sharing the lead vocals).

This piece also opens with another extended instrumental intro where I get to utilize my best Keith Moon acrobatics and leads to Roine’s beautiful, melodic vocals on the verses and choruses in the body of the song and climaxes with a majestic section with Neal Morse taking the lead vocal and one of the album’s main musical reoccurring themes.

This portion of the album closes out Disc 1 of the 2 CD version of the album ‘Forevermore’.”

Each album will be available on CD, LP & Digitally. But there will also be what has been called ‘The Absolute Universe: The Ultimate Edition’, which collects both versions together in one lavish package that includes 5LP’s, 3CD’s & a Blu-ray that includes a special mix that combines both versions into a third unique version in 5.1 surround sound with visuals and a behind the scenes documentary. All editions have artwork created by Thomas Ewerhard featuring the airship by Pavel Zhovba.

As Mike Portnoy explains: “We’ve got two versions of this album. There is a two CD presentation, which is 90 minutes long, and a single one – that’s 60 minutes. However, the single CD is NOT merely an edited version of the double CD. They each contain alternate versions and even in some cases, new recordings. We wrote fresh lyrics and have different people singing on the single CD version tracks as compared to those on the double CD. Some of the song titles have also been changed, while others might remain the same, but compositionally what you’ll hear has been altered. You must appreciate that what we have done is unique. We revamped the songs to make the two versions different.” Pete Trewavas adds: “We did write some new music for the single CD, what’s more, there are also differences in the instruments used on some of the tracks across the two records.”

The full list of formats is below, and you can pre-order now here: https://transatlantic.lnk.to/TheAbsoluteUniverse

‘The Absolute Universe: The Breath Of Life (Abridged Version)’

Available as:

Single CD Edition, Gatefold 2LP+CD, or Digital Album

Track-listing:

1. Overture

2. Reaching For The Sky

3. Higher Than The Morning

4. The Darkness In The Light

5. Take Now My Soul

6. Looking For The Light

7. Love Made A Way (Prelude)

8. Owl Howl

9. Solitude

10. Belong

11. Can You Feel It

12. Looking For The Light (Reprise)

13. The Greatest Story Never Ends

14. Love Made A Way

‘The Absolute Universe: Forevermore (Extended Version)’

Available as:

2CD Edition, 3LP+2CD Boxset, or Digital Album

Track-listing:

Disc 1:

1. Overture

2. Heart Like A Whirlwind

3. Higher Than The Morning

4. The Darkness In The Light

5. Swing High, Swing Low

6. Bully

7. Rainbow Sky

8. Looking For The Light

9. The World We Used To Know

Disc 2:

1. The Sun Comes Up Today

2. Love Made A Way (Prelude)

3. Owl Howl

4. Solitude

5. Belong

6. Lonesome Rebel

7. Looking For The Light (Reprise)

8. The Greatest Story Never Ends

9. Love Made A Way

‘The Absolute Universe: The Ultimate Edition’

Limited Deluxe Clear 5LP+3CD+Blu-Ray Box-set – contained within a foil-finished lift-off box with extended 16-page LP booklet & 60x60cm poster. Includes both versions of the album over 5LP’s and 3CD’s, plus a Blu-Ray with 5.1 mix & documentary.

Blu-Ray Track-listing:

1. Overture (5.1 Surround Mix)

2. Reaching For The Sky (5.1 Surround Mix)

3. Higher Than The Morning (5.1 Surround Mix)

4. The Darkness In The Light (5.1 Surround Mix)

5. Take Now My Soul (5.1 Surround Mix)

6. Bully (5.1 Surround Mix)

7. Rainbow Sky (5.1 Surround Mix)

8. Looking For The Light (5.1 Surround Mix)

9. The World We Used To Know (5.1 Surround Mix)

10. The Sun Comes Up Today (5.1 Surround Mix)

11. Love Made A Way (Prelude) (5.1 Surround Mix)

12. Owl Howl (5.1 Surround Mix)

13. Solitude (5.1 Surround Mix)

14. Belong (5.1 Surround Mix)

15. Lonesome Rebel (5.1 Surround Mix)

16. Can You Feel It (5.1 Surround Mix)

17. Looking For The Light (Reprise) (5.1 Surround Mix)

18. The Greatest Story Never Ends (5.1 Surround Mix)

19. Love Made A Way (5.1 Surround Mix)

20. The Making of The Absolute Universe (Documentary)

Initial tracking began in September 2019 when the band met up in Sweden to write and arrange the new material. As Portnoy explains: “Over a period of 10-14 days, we mapped out the songs. Then we all went back to our home studios and did the recording. That’s the way we always do it. At one point, though, it was suggested that instead of doing what was by that time going to be a double album, we should just be content to do a single CD.”

“What happened was that everything kept expanding and expanding,” recalls Stolt. “Therefore we decided it made sense to make it a double album. It was Pete and Neal who then came out and said they felt this would be too long, and we should reduce it to one…But we were already recording, and it didn’t seem feasible to cut it back. There were so many pieces that each of us loved in what we were planning and didn’t want to lose. That’s when we ended up in discussions over the best way forward.”

This album also marks a return to the concept album for Transatlantic. “Well, the idea of Transatlantic deciding to do a concept record this time around won’t shock anyone, right?” laughs Portnoy. “What we have is essentially one giant composition, split into chapters. The storyline is about the struggles facing everyone in society today.” “We didn’t start out with the idea of this being conceptual,” admits Stolt. “The way things work with us is that we have a load of ideas, and these are developed spontaneously when we meet up. Everything happens in the moment.”

So, how does this new ground-breaking album compare to Transatlantic’s previous four albums?

“I always try not to compare albums as much as possible,” insists Morse. “It’s very difficult when you’re trying to be creative, because your natural instinct is to constantly compare. But in order to create you have to kind of step away from that. Having said that, I would say this would have more in common with ‘The Whirlwind’ album (the band’s third, from 2009) than others that we’ve created.”

For Trewavas, ‘The Absolute Universe’ is a momentous project.“I think it is right up there with the very finest albums we’ve done. As the others have said, it compares very well to ‘The Whirlwind’, which I believe represents Transatlantic at our best. As on that album, we took our time to write and arrange everything, and that shines through. I am very excited for people to hear it.”

Transatlantic were originally formed in 1999, releasing their debut album ‘SMTPe’ the following year as well as its follow-up ‘Bridge Across Forever’ in 2001. Following a 7-year hiatus, the band reconvened to record and release the much-acclaimed epic 77-minute, single-track album ‘The Whirlwind’ followed by a world tour in 2010 which included an appearance at High Voltage Festival in London where they were joined by legendary Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett. The band’s fourth album ‘Kaleidoscope’ arrived in 2014, going on to win ‘Album Of The Year’ at the Progressive Music Awards.

TRANSATLANTIC online:

https://www.transatlanticweb.com/