THE INTRO

Supergroup reveal why their fifth album is actually two distinct releases sharing common elements.

Prog supergroup Transatlantic return with their first new album for six years, plus the latest news from Steve Hackett, Iamthemorning, Mogwai, Sigur Rós,The Anchoress, Jane Weaver, Plini, Avandra, Steve Davis, Kavus Torabi and more…

In a move that might seem reminiscent of a scene from Dune, prog supergroup Transatlantic will perform the musical equivalent of folding space – or moving without moving – when they release fifth album The Absolute Universe on February 5 via InsideOut.

As a result of discussions over whether the follow-up to 2014’s Kaleidoscope should be a single- or double-length title, Neal Morse, Mike Portnoy, Roine Stolt and Pete Trewavas wound up doing both.

The result is that, while The Absolute Universe: The Breath Of Life (Abridged Version) and The Absolute Universe: Forevermore (Extended Version) share many common threads, listeners will only hear all the music from the project in The

Ultimate Edition box set, which contains five LPs, three CDs and a Blu-ray.

“We’ve got two versions of this album,” drummer Portnoy confirms.“A two-CD presentation, which is 90 minutes long, and a single one that’s 60 minutes.” He continues: “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.”

Bassist Trewavas points out: “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.”

Development began in September 2019, when the group gathered to lay out ideas over the course of two weeks. They all returned to their home studios, as usual, to start tracking separately.