Jethro Tull has announced official details about its forthcoming studio album, The Zealot Gene, which will be released on January 28, 2022.
The 12-track collection of the first new studio album from the veteran prog-rock band led by singer/flutist Ian Anderson in more than 18 years.
Coinciding with the announcement, an advance track from the album, “Shoshana Smiling,” has been made available via digital formats, and a companion music video has premiered at the group’s official YouTube channel. The black-and-white clip features enigmatic masked stop-motion animated figures and shadow puppets.
Jethro Tull began work in The Zealot Gene in 2017, and the album includes a number of songs that incorporate biblical imagery while examining religious themes.
“While I have a spot of genuine fondness for the pomp and fairytale story-telling of the Holy Book, I still feel the need to question and draw sometimes unholy parallels from the text,” Anderson explains. “The good, the bad, and the downright ugly rear their heads throughout, but are punctuated with elements of love, respect, and tenderness.”
The Zealot Gene, which you can pre-order now, will be available in multiple formats and configurations, including a CD digipak, a two-LP/CD set, limited-edition two-CD/Blu-ray artbook, and a limited-edition deluxe three-LP/two-CD/Blu-ray artbook.
The limited-edition versions feature a second CD offering demos and recordings of early song ideas, as well as extended liner notes and a new interview with Ian. The deluxe edition’s LPs are pressed on white vinyl and one of the discs features the aforementioned demos.
The Blu-ray features a 5.1 surround sound mix of the album.
Here’s the full track list of The Zealot Gene:
“Mrs. Tibbets”
“Jacob’s Tales”
“Mine Is the Mountain”
“The Zealot Gene”
“Shoshana Sleeping”
“Sad City Sisters”
“Barren Beth, Wild Desert John”
“The Betrayal of Joshua Kynde”
“Where Did Saturday Go?”
“Three Loves, Three”
“In Brief Visitation”
“The Fisherman of Ephesus”
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