- 2024-11-18
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MUSIC
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Sergeant Thunderhoof Releases New Album “The Ghost of Badon Hill”
British rock band Sergeant Thunderhoof, consisting of Mark Sayer (guitar), Josh Gallop (guitar), Darren Ashman (drums), Dan Flitcroft (vocals) and Jim Camp (bass), has released their fifth studio album “The Ghost of Badon Hill” on November 15, 2024 via Pale Wizard Records.
This marks their first body of work in two years since the 2022 album “This Sceptred Veil”.
The album comprises six songs that delve deep into the local history, mythology, and folklore of their hometown in Somerset, exploring the famous Battle of Badon, set in the 4th century AD, and brimming with raw emotion and Arthurian mysticism.
The band recorded the album at Stage 2 Studios in Bath.
The band frontman Dan Flitcroft said of the album, “This new album feels to me like our most focussed and thoughtful release to date. In the past we've not had any limitations when it comes to song lengths and structures as we didn't have a label calling the shots. But one thing that I knew was needed for this album was to set some boundaries. Foremost of which was the ability to get it onto two sides of vinyl, as opposed to us having to put most of our previous works onto double packages due to the sheer length of the songs.”- He continued, “So, knowing that we only had 22 minutes or so per side to play with, it forced us to take the songs we had been jamming and sort the wheat from the chaff. Anything that felt unnecessary or superfluous was scrapped, with every moment on the record needing to justify its own place. I came across the theme for the album by sheer accident when out walking with my family. I had no idea that Bath was a possible location for a real-life battle between the Britons and invading Anglo Saxons, on what was known as Badon Hill. There are a few prominent hills in and around our city that have been suggested as possible locations, famously Peter Gabriel sang about Solsbury Hill many years ago, and that is such a special and romantic place to visit.”
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He added, “I got lost down a rabbit hole of facts, speculation, mythology and fantasy. I very quickly focussed on a story of simple people leading simple lives, forced to do amazing things to protect themselves and their kind. Having this narrative ticking away in my brain whilst working on the songs with the band really helped shape the feel and emotional journey that the songs take you on. I couldn't be prouder of this work and the fantastic contribution that all of the members of the band brought to the table”. - source : Apple Music
