Frontiers Records will release Royal Hunt‘s 11th studio album, Show Me How To Live, on November 29 in North America and December 2 in Europe.
Royal Hunt was recently rejoined by D.C. Cooper, the American singer that performed on the band’s two most successful releases in the ’90s: Moving Target and the concept album Paradox. “We started chatting on Skype from time to time and that’s how the idea of doing on a mini-tour came about,” says Royal Hunt founder, songwriter and keyboards player André Andersen. “After playing some shows we realized that the chemistry was still there and we decided to continue… recording a new album — first…”
Show Me How to Live is described in a press release as “highly melodic with rich, lush arrangements and stellar production” and certain to “please the fans of neoclassical yet progressive music.”
“The new songs are continuing right from where we left it in the first place, [and] so far it sounds great,” says Andersen. “It will have some qualities of our previous albums, Moving Target, and Paradox, but you can certainly expect some cool updates and new twists!”
The follow-up 2010’s X is being recorded at NorthPoint studio in Copenhahen and will be mixed at RoastingHouse Studios in Malmö, Sweden. The mastering duites will be handled by Jan Eliasson at AudioPlanet in Copenhagen.
Show Me How To Live track listing:
01. Introduction
02. One More Day
03. Another Man Down
04. An Empty Shell
05. Hard Rain’s Coming
06. Half Past Loneliness
07. Show Me How To Live
08. Angel’s Gone
As a companion to the new album, Frontiers Records will also release on the same day a Royal Hunt double DVD entitled Future Coming From The Past. This double package serves as a celebration of the return of singer D.C. Cooper to the line-up, and makes finally widely available two very rare items which were only released in Japan back in the day. The first DVD is entitled 1996 and was recorded live in Japan just after the release of the band’s Moving Target album. 1996 is an excellent summary of Royal Hunt‘s career up to that point. The band offers a great mix of songs from their first three studio albums. The band was in top form for this show, with D.C. leading the way. The second DVD, Paradox – Closing the Chapter, was recorded in 1998 and marked the end of the original D.C. Cooper era for Royal Hunt. It is essentially a complete live performance of the band’s amazing studio album Paradox, their most successful album to date. It is a very solid performance andD.C. delivers the goods, while the band’s playing is super. To complete the package is a 50-minute documentary which shares stories of life in a rock band.
A trailer for Future Coming From The Past can be seen below.
Royal Hunt‘s current lineup:
André Andersen – Keyboards
D.C. Cooper – Vocals
Allan Sørensen – Drums
Andreas Passmark – Bass
Jonas Larsen – Guitars
Royal Hunt’s last album, X, was released in Europe on June 7, 2010 via Scarlet Records. The CD, which featured the vocals of Mark Boals (ex-Yngwie Malmsteen’s Rising Force, Billionaire Boys Club, Ring Of Fire), came out in Japan and Southeast Asia on January 21, 2010 through Marquee/Avalon.
Singer John West joined Royal Hunt in 1999 during the recording of the Fear album and he worked with the band up until its Royal Hunt 2006 live CD/DVD.
For more information on Royal Hunt check their Facebook profile.