Magenta release video for ten-minute new song Bela

(Image credit: Magenta)

Welsh prog rockers Magenta have released a video for brand new song, the ten-minute long Bela. The track is taken from the band's upcoming album, Masters Of Illusion, which will be released through Tigermoth Records on July 1.

A concept album, Masters Of Illusion is centred around some of mainman Rob Reed and brother and lyricist Steve Reed's favourite actors of the classic Universal and Hammer Horror eras. Bela is, of course, about legendary Dracula actor Bela Lugosi

"We were lucky to be able to shoot two performance-based videos just before the lockdown," explains keyboard player and mainman Rob Reed. "In fact, it’s the last time we were together as a band. We have managed to do a few virtual performances online, but we all miss the experience of playing live at the moment.

"Bela is the opening track of the album is of course about Bela Lugosi, the famous horror movie actor of the early Universal horror films. He was the first to play Dracula onscreen, and became typecast in that role. His career never reached those heights again, and he struggled with addiction. He even ended up being buried in his Dracula cloak. Musically, it’s a full-on prog journey at over ten minutes long."

Masters Of Illusion is available from the Magenta shop, but also digitally from the Magenta Bandcamp site. Alongside the main album is a very limited bonus CD The Lost Reel which will feature 74-minutes of alternative mixes from the new album plus remixes from the back catalogue. There is also a very limited quantity of the VIP edition of the album.

Pre-order Masters Of Illusion.

Magenta: Masters Of Illusion
1.Bela
2. A Gift From God
3.Reach For the Moon
4. Snow
5. The Rose
6. Masters of Illusion

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.