The collaboration between Steve Hackett and Steve Rothery seems like a perfect combination. Their paths had crossed before when Rothery joined Hackett to perform ‘Fly on a Windshield’ at the Royal Albert Hall in October 2024, celebrating Genesis’ magnum opus, The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway for its 50th anniversary. For Rothery, Hackett has always been a major influence on his guitar playing, so teaming up for a collaborative project felt like the perfect opportunity to explore themes inspired by the sea.
Eight years in the making, The Roaring Waves is a beautiful yet stirring blend of classical, progressive, ambient, and electronic music. Released on the InsideOut label, the album places you in the middle of a lonely lighthouse in the heart of the ocean, never knowing when the next storm will strike. At the same time, it takes you beneath the deep blue waters, revealing the mysterious life waiting below the surface.
The sounds of seagulls, waves crashing against the shore, and the Mellotron evoke a sense of lost innocence, while Hackett and Rothery’s soaring guitars cry out across the landscape. Their playing creates a cinematic overture, filled with military-like tension, as if preparing listeners for the crashing force of ‘The Storm’ at any moment.
There is a welcome heaviness throughout, with blaring organ and Mellotron textures giving Daniele Pomo the opportunity to anchor the arrangement. The music recalls the Voyage of the Acolyte era, allowing Hackett to revisit the spirit of his debut solo album more than five decades later. It becomes a clash of the titans as the two Steves exchange soaring guitar solos over rising organ passages, building toward a massive tidal wave of sound. ”.
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