Steven Wilson Announces New Album And UK Tour

Progressive mastermind, Steven Wilson has announced that the follow up to the absolutely phenomenal The Raven That Refused To Sing and Other Stories will be released in February 2015. A connoisseur of all things prog, Steven Wilson created Porcupine Tree whilst all the while slowly befriending Swedish metal legend Mikael Akerfeldt and since Blackwater Park has been their producer and Akerfeldt’s best mate. Not to mention the seventies remasters that Wilson has been in charge of, reworking a large quantity of King Crimson‘s discography to be remastered but more importantly his solo project Steven Wilson is back.

After gathering together some of the most talented musicians in the progressive world, Marco Minneman is drummer extraordinaire, Guthrie Govan is the definition of improvisation on guitar, Nick Beggs on bass guitar, Adam Holzman on keyboards and finally Theo Travis on the flourish of flute. This incarnation it has to be said is unstoppable with all members being at the absolute zenith of their instrumental ability Steven Wilson himself in charge of principal song writing, they all return for another album.

Entitled Hand.Cannot.Erase Steven Wilson‘s latest studio effort was recorded throughout September at London’s AIR Studios and is set for a February 2015 release. Inspired by a documentary “The Dreams Of A Life” a documentary about finding a young,popular and attractive person of the name Joyce Carol Vincent who had apparently been dead for three years. Deciding to use this as an inspiration Wilson stated :

“(There) Was something about her (Vincent) that had so much pathos and so much to say about what it is to be living in the city in the twenty first century”. Mirroring the ideas of the album there will be a strong female vocal presence, both songs “Routine” and “Happy Returns” are written specifically in the female first person perspective”

Whilst this not only being some of the best news for next year Wilson will be going on a small UK tour in promotion of the album he stated :

“We’re currently developing a show that I hope will raise the bar musically and visually from my previous tours. The setlist will be based around the new album, of course, as well as casting the net further back into my past for a few surprises.“

His previous effort The Raven… was nothing short of a masterpiece that comes round only once in a bands career but with this much talent abound, everyone has the highest of expectations that Wilson and co usually meet. Listen to both pieces of in studio footage below giving us an insight into the recording process, along with an in depth explanation of what the as of yet untitled album will entail.