Jethro Tull have released a third song from their 23rd studio album, “RökFlöte”, due April 21st, 2023 via InsideOutMusic. Following the worldwide success of 2022’s “The Zealot Gene”, the band’s first album in two decades, Ian Anderson and the band are returning with a 12-track record based on the characters and roles of some of the principle gods of the old Norse paganism, and at the same time exploring the ‘RökFlöte’ – rock flute – which Jethro Tull has made iconic.
Anderson explains the album’s title and theme in more detail: “The title of this offering went through a little change or two along the way. I started with the idea of a predominantly instrumental album for rock flute – as in rock music. When the subject material of the album presented itself, I was drawn to the term Ragnarök from Norse mythology – their version of apocalyptic end times or Biblical Armageddon.
The ‘final showdown’ scenario is ubiquitous and inherent in Hinduism, Christianity and Islam, for example. Ragnarök translates as ‘destiny of the Gods,’ the rök part meaning destiny, course, direction. With umlaut firmly in place, courtesy of the Germanic origins of Old Norse, Flute became Flöte in keeping with the spelling.” “The Navigators” explores the Norse god Njord, who was the god of wealth, fertility, the sea and seafaring.
“RökFlöte” will be available on CD and vinyl, as well as on two limited deluxe formats that include bonus demo material, extensive liner notes & a Blu-ray featuring Dolby Atmos, 5.1 surround sound, alternative stereo mixes by Bruce Soord, as well as a bonus track and in-depth interview with Ian Anderson. The album will also be available digitally in the spatial audio formats Dolby Atmos & Sony 360 RA.
“Hammer on Hammer,” released on April 5th, takes inspiration from the god Thor, a loyal & honorable warrior who wears a powerful symbolic belt and wields a hammer. His mortal enemy & nemesis was Jormungand the sea-serpent.
Jethro Tull continues live dates this year, with shows in Europe, as well as a date in London to celebrate the new album release. They will also return to North America later this year, with shows to be announced in the coming weeks. The lineup consists of Anderson (concert and alto flutes, flute d’Amour, Irish whistle and vocals), David Goodier (bass guitar), John O’Hara (piano, keyboards and Hammond organ), Scott Hammond (drums), and Joe Parrish-James (electric and acoustic guitars, mandolin).
With more than 30 albums to their credit and sales totalling more than 60 million, Jethro Tull are one of the most successful rock bands of all-time with a catalogue that contains classic rock favorites “Aqualung”, “Thick As a Brick“, and more.
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