British prog supergroup Asia have announced the launch of their 14th studio album, Indigo, which will arrive on Nov. 6.
The follow-up to 2014’s Gravitas includes two songs written by late frontman John Wetton, while former guitarist Steve Howe of Yes and Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy make guest appearances.
The band released a video for lead track “The Traveller (Into the Light)” which can be seen below, along with the album’s track list.
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It’s the first time Asia’s latest lineup will have been heard on record. Co-founder Geoff Downes’ current companions are guitarist John Mitchell of It Bites and Lonely Robot, drummer Virgil Donati of Planet X, and bassist/vocalist Harry Whitley.
“The first track off the album is a high-power energy piece, ” Downes said of “The Traveller,” adding that it featured “a few elements of prog trickery [while] retaining the accessible chorus block, which was always a signature of Asia’s music.”
He explained that he and Wetton had started writing songs soon after the release of Gravitas, with two of those tracks – “Tattoo Indigo (Parts 2 & 3)” and “Chesapeake Bay” – appearing on on the record. Howe and Portnoy play on the latter.
“It was with great sadness that John became seriously ill during this time, and we had put on hold our plans,” Downes said. “[A]nd sadly John passed away before we could continue and complete it. So it was always in my mind that … it would be a shame not to finish off some of these songs.”
Watch Asia’s Video for ‘The Traveller (Into the Light)’
Asia, ‘Indigo’ Track List
1. “The Traveller (Into the Light)”
2. “Change of Heart”
3. “Arcadia”
4. “Is This The Life?”
5. “Tattoo Indigo (Part 1)”
6. “Tattoo Indigo (Part 2)”
7. “Tattoo Indigo (Part 3)”
8. “Life in The Sun”
9. “Hymn for The Fallen”
10. “Night and Day”
11. “Valencia (The Ghost Ship)”
12. “An Elegy”
13. “Chesapeake Bay”
14. “On a Winter’s Night”
15. “Echo of You”
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