Gordon Giltrap announces new album Scattered Chapters

(Image credit: Joby Sessions/Guitarist Magazine - Future)

Guitarist and composer Gordon Giltrap has announced that he will release a new album, Scattered Chapters, a collaboration with keyboard player Paul Ward (who also worked with Giltrap on 2017's The Last Of England). You can listen to the album title track, below.

Scattered Chapters is a new 18-track album which will be released through Psychotron Records on November 4. Recorded during lockdown, the album acts as a musical soundtrack to the book of the same name by Nicholas Hooper, and also feature s anew rendition of Giltrap's 1977 hit Heartsong.

"They say that many musical creations have been born out of suffering and I believe that to be true from the greatest musical genius to the least," says Giltrap. "Here are a couple of examples that spring to mind. Vaughan Williams wrote some of his most profound pieces in response to the suffering he observed and experienced whilst serving in the First World War.

"Pete Townshend’s beautiful The Sea Refuses No River was written during a very fragile period in his life. Martin Taylor wrote a heartfelt piece entitled One Day in memory of his son Stuart who committed suicide, and it was Martin who found him.

"Two of my pieces on Scattered Chapters, Through Braden’s Door and The Melody Weavers Son initially dedicated to the memory of my dear friend Del Newman revealed to me that it was really an outlet for the personal grief at the loss of my dear son Jamie. Through Braden’s Door was written for my lovely daughter in law Karen and my beautiful grandson Braden who were both trying to come to terms with the loss of a husband and Father.

"Paul Ward’s beautiful Requiem was written in memory of his parents who jointly committed suicide. This of course, is all very powerful and heart rending stuff but the point is that we as artists are privileged to have an outlet for these deep emotions expressed through the power of music.

"So now you will all hopefully understand that this album isn’t just a collection of tunes but a sharing of our personal suffering with the listener and hopefully it could bring a degree of healing comfort to all who have suffered profound loss."

Scattered Chapters will be available on vinyl and CD. You can view the new album artwork below.

Pre-order Scattered Chapters.

Writer and broadcaster Jerry Ewing is the Editor of Prog Magazine which he founded for Future Publishing in 2009. He grew up in Sydney and began his writing career in London for Metal Forces magazine in 1989. He has since written for Metal Hammer, Maxim, Vox, Stuff and Bizarre magazines, among others. He created and edited Classic Rock Magazine for Dennis Publishing in 1998 and is the author of a variety of books on both music and sport, including Wonderous Stories; A Journey Through The Landscape Of Progressive Rock.