Pendragon announce new reissue of 1996 album The Masquerade Overture

Pendragon
(Image credit: Pendragon Archive)

UK prog rockers Pendragon have announced they will reissue their 1996 album The Masquerade Overture later this month in remastered form and featuring newly spruced-up artwork, on both CD and vinyl.

The album, the band's fifth studio release, was recorded by the Nick Barrett, Pete Gee, Clive Nolan, Fudge Smith line-up of the band and is one of Pendragon's most popular releases, having sold over 90,000 copies.

The new reissue will also feature the tracks Schizo and King Of The Castle, both of which originally featured on the bonus disc that came with the original CD release.

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"As The Masquerade Overture CD was due to be re-pressed we’ve decided to smarten it up for 2024," the band say. "The Masquerade Overture has sold over 90,000 copies worldwide since its release, and this re-release disc includes Schizo and King Of The Castle all on one CD for the first time. The artwork has been smartened up and the audio has been remastered.

"Not only that, but this full track listing will also be available as a two-disc gatefold sleeve vinyl very soon. This will be the first time Schizo will have appeared on vinyl. The Masquerade Overture vinyl is going to have gorgeous images within a gatefold sleeve with a luxurious feel and with two coloured 180gm discs."

Pendragon head out on their upcoming tour of Europe and the UK in May, that will include two of their VIP weekends in both the UK and Poland at the beginning and end of the tour run respectively. This follows on from the inaugural VIP weekends in the UK, Norway and Holland last year.

The CD version The Masquerade Overture will be released on April 12, with the vinyl to follow but the band expect to have both versions available on the rmerch stand during the forthcoming tour.

Pre-order The Masquerade Overture.

Pendragon

(Image credit: Pendragon Archive)

Pendragon: The Masquerade Overture
1. The Masquerade Overture
2. As Good As Gold
3. Paintbox
4. The Pursuit Of Excellence
5. Guardian Of My Soul
6. The Shadow
7. Masters Of Illusion
8. Schizo
9. King Of The Castle

Jerry Ewing

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.

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