Joe Satriani is starting the new year with a brand-new album. Due on April 8th, The Elephants Of Mars, marks the legendary guitarist’s 19th studio album in his 35-plus-year career in music. This album also marks the debut of his new label partnership with earMUSIC, the international rock label of entertainment group Edel.
Pre-orders are available now and include a special limited digipack CD release featuring seven double sided cards of original artwork by Satriani representing each song from the album. In addition, several colored vinyl options will be available as well to pre-order including an orange, pink (D2C only) and purple version.
The first single, Sahara, debuts today with a video directed by ZZ Satriani.
Satriani had an admirably productive workingman’s holiday, with pandemic forced time away from the road, that ultimately gave him and his touring band, all recording remotely in separate areas of the world during lockdown, the ability to deliver an album length journey that never dulls. The Elephants Of Mars crackles with an exciting new energy, briskly traveling through stylistic roads that feel freshly updated, viewed through new eyes.
The guitarist challenged himself to create a “new standard” for instrumental guitar albums to be measured against, one which would work from “a new platform of his own design,” as he terms it. “I want to show people that an instrumental guitar album can contain far more creative and entertaining elements than I think people are using right now.”
From the gripping, sci-fi madness of Through A Mother’s Day Darkly to the isolation felt in a decaying urban landscape, as depicted in first single Sahara to the general endorphin levels that peak as the elephants finally roar in the title track, The Elephants Of Mars will stampede across your mind, leaving a sonic imprint that doesn’t fade.
In 2020 with all time constraints removed, The Elephants Of Mars truly represents the album that Satriani himself hoped he could deliver with his band.
“We did everything,” he says. “We tried the craziest ideas. And we entertained every notion we had about turning something backwards, upside down, seeing what could happen.”
With this new album, Satriani joins the eclectic and exciting roster of earMUSIC. General manager Max Vaccaro remarks, “Some years ago, we were lucky to be the label chosen by Joe Satriani for the extremely fortunate Chickenfoot project. It was impossible not to notice and admire the dedication, the work ethic, and the monstrous talent in the recording studio and on stage. We knew, though, that he had the same ‘home’ for his solo music for decades and that for him, being signed to a record company meant loyalty and belonging. It is with great joy and sense of responsibility that now, some years later, we welcome Joe for his first solo work with earMUSIC. We thank him for having written and recorded very special music that will make a lot of fans happy, and we like to think this will be the first of many great albums to come.”
The Elephants Of Mars track listing:
1. Sahara
2. The Elephants Of Mars
3. Faceless
4. Blue Foot Groovy
5. Tension And Release
6. Sailing The Seas Of Ganymede
7. Doors of Perception
8. E 104th St NYC
9. Pumpin’
10. Dance Of The Spores
11. Night Scene
12. Through A Mother’s Day Darkly
13. 22 Memory Lane
14. Desolation
For over three decades, the guitar virtuoso has traveled the world, playing to sold-out crowds as both a headliner and as founder of the all-star G3 guitar extravaganza. Satriani’s studio and live recordings have sold more than 10 million copies worldwide to date and of his many solo albums, two have gone platinum and four others went gold, with 15 Grammy nominations between them. His side project Chickenfoot, featuring former Van Halen frontman Sammy Hagar, and former bassist Michael Anthony along with the Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, saw their debut album certified gold and their second studio album debuted at No. 9.
3 Responses
Awesome! I really enjoy Joe’s soundscapes. For me many of his songs have an ethereal effect making it appear as though the song takes me on a journey around my soul & mind. Cool video and effects, love it that ZZ is behind the camera working with his Dad.
This song is an example of a guitar virtuoso having songwriting abilities and “feel” in his playing….unlike that wanker, Yngwie.
Hahaha he really is a wanker isn’t he?!