Troy Redfern: The Fire Stones Of Areelia Revealed

‘The Fire Stones Of Areelia’, releasing 2^nd October, is an eight-minute tour de force of space-faring, fusionistic prog from multi-instrumentalist Troy Redfern. It also heralds the coming of the fully instrumental album ‘Astral Doorways‘, Troy’s most musically adventurous and multi-faceted work to date.

The single, which closes the album in striking Egyptian Gods meet Astronomyth storytelling style, is accompanied by an Official Video that both sets the scene, and tells the story, of the sought-after Fire Stones.

Stream – here

“’’The Fire Stones of Areelia’ is, at its core, a musical imagining of the transmutation of the soul; to me, it’s about the cycles of birth and death, and ultimately rebirth, “says Troy. “On a musical level, it’s a piece that weaves eastern melodies to create soundscapes that suggest sun bleached deserts worlds. Complex time signatures shift and morph like windswept dunes. The instrumentation features solos with the Turkish Saz, Coral Sitar and Nylon string guitar along with an electric guitar solo played on a suitably cosmic, swirl finished, 1990 Ibanez Universe 7-string.

“With the video I wanted to create a storyline that followed the main character Chi’a on her quest to become one with the universe. After several attempts, I decided that the Anime vibe worked best.”

Mixing art-rock tendencies with ‘love letter’ moments (sub-consciously tapping into some of the greatest innovators of early 70s rock, jazz-tinged fusion and prog, as well as eastern influences), ‘Astral Doorways‘, releasing on 30^th October, is a time-shifting trip through alternate musical realities in aural space.

“I feel like ‘Astral Doorways’ is the deepest dive into my musical psyche yet,” continues Troy. “I felt the freest and could really stretch out musically, letting the muse shine. With the rise of artificially generated music looming so large on the world stage, I decided now was the right time to record my most ambitious, idiosyncratic, musically interesting album to date. For anyone that knows my catalogue, I don’t think this album will be too much of a shock as progressive rock, eastern music and avant-garde have always been a massive part of my musical DNA.”

Early praise for ‘Astral Doorways‘:
“A delicious fusion of instrumental prog rock, jazz and world music, performed beautifully by Troy – I love this album!” – Ron ‘Bumblefoot’ Thal.

“An amazing, very ambitious, exploratory journey interwoven with Troy’s extremely proficient and tasteful
guitar playing.” – Ed Wynne (Ozric Tentacles).

“A wonderful adventure and beautifully different… keyboards like a lunar landscape. I love that!”
– renowned producer & sound engineer Chris Kimsey.

“Unencumbered by musical styles and context, and forged by musical inspiration, Astral Doorways is Troy
Redfern’s very best work, and one we should all explore.” – Pete Feenstra, Get Ready To Rock.

‘Astral Doorways‘ was composed primarily on piano and nylon string guitar, both of which feature heavily. “Writing and composing with the piano really was a revelation, opening up musical avenues I wouldn’t have gone down just writing on electric guitar. It got me out of my comfort zone and forced me to get creative in other ways,” confirms Troy.

While an array of interesting instrumentation and highly creative arrangements shape the album, some of Troy’s best and most inspired guitar soloing to date sit atop, waiting for the listener to arrive, embark, and enjoy the six-string trip.

‘Astral Doorways‘. A work of creative art for art’s sake.

Track List:

Suite: Astral Doorways
The Plains of Zula
Emanations
Elysium in Parallax
Dark Celestial
The Fire Stones of Areelia

Written, recorded, produced & arranged by Troy Redfern at Parliament Barn Studios. All instruments played by Troy Redfern, including: Piano, Clavinet, Rhodes Piano, Drums, Programming, Mallets, Nylon & Electric Guitars, Coral Sitar, ARP Synth, Percussion.

Pre-order link now live – here

‘Astral Doorways‘ will also be available on streaming services.