‘Sky King’ is the latest single from Magic 8-Ball, Norwegian progressive rock band Gazpacho’s first album following a five-year break and released last year on Kscope.
The song was inspired by Richard Russell, a ground service agent with no formal flight training who stole an aircraft and flew alone for over an hour. His conversations with air traffic control were broadcast live, and revealed a man speaking with unusual calm, humour, and clarity as the situation unfolded.
“This song is a tribute to human dignity and the refusal to conform to anyone or anything,” declared the band. “It is dedicated to the sky king, Richard Russell, who performed the ultimate rejection of that mindset and reminds us that we still have wings. Fly high!”
Widely regarded as one of the most innovative acts in modern progressive music, Gazpacho has carved out a cult following with their unique blend of art rock and cinematic storytelling. From their critically acclaimed 2007 masterpiece Night to the hauntingly beautiful Demon (2014), the band has consistently pushed the boundaries of progressive music.
Tracks featured on Magic 8-Ball are: ‘Starling’, ‘We Are Strangers’, ‘Sky King’, ‘Ceres’, ‘Gingerbread Men’, ‘Magic 8-Ball’, ‘Immerwahr’ and ‘The Unrisen’. It is available as a sparkle vinyl LP, black LP, CD and digitally and available from here.
Gazpacho play the O2 Academy Islington in London on 4th April and tickets are available here.
You can check out the video for ‘Sky King’, created by Biedjee Productions here at RAMzine.
