Steve Hackett & Steve Rothery reveal more album details and present first single

Steve Hackett & Steve Rothery reveal more The Roaring Waves album details and present first single The Black Sea.

Early last week, we reported on the first details of the joint album The Roaring Waves by Steve Hackett and Steve Rothery (see here). Further details are now available. The album is available for pre-order and the first single has been released.

The press release states:

Two titans of progressive music, Steve Hackett and Steve Rothery, come together on The Roaring Waves – a striking and deeply atmospheric instrumental album shaped by memory, imagination, and the elemental power of the sea. The record has been much talked about over the years, and it will now finally see the day on the 28th August 2026 via InsideOutMusic.

Years in the making, The Roaring Waves brings together seven instrumental compositions that move fluidly between the cinematic and the intimate, as Hackett explains, "It's not the kind of album that guitarists normally make together."

Written and recorded intermittently over nearly a decade – with sessions at London's Racket Club and the duo's home studios – the album emerged from an organic, improvisational process. Jams and shared ideas form the backbone of the music, allowing both players to explore a collaborative dynamic defined by sensitivity and mutual respect.

Throughout The Roaring Waves, the duo embrace a painterly, almost filmic approach to composition – crafting music that invites listeners to drift, imagine, and immerse themselves. "You're trying to create an atmosphere… like painting a picture," says Rothery. "Taking people on a journey."

Coinciding with the announcement is the launch of the album's first single, The Black Sea, accompanied by a stunning video featuring Hackett & Rothery performing alongside album collaborators Ricardo Rommano (who also co-wrote, mixed and played keyboards & bass),
& Leon Parr (drums). Watch the video, directed by Tim Sidwell, here:

Steve Rothery comments: "I think The Black Sea is the perfect introduction to the sonic world we've created between us. We have a very special chemistry."

Steve Hackett adds: "For The Black Sea, our joint guitar sounds with the keys created a strong vibe of intrigue along with a sense of a musical dark sea adventure…"

Various formats and vinyl editions

The album is available for pre-order in various formats. There is a limited-edition CD+Blu-ray mediabook edition featuring a Dolby Atmos mix (by Andy Bradfield) and high-resolution stereo. The album will also be available as a standard CD and as a gatefold LP on 180g vinyl, cut at half-speed by Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios. There will once again be various vinyl variants, including a pearlescent Arctic-blue vinyl available exclusively from JPC in Germany and a transparent light blue-lilac marbled LP exclusively from Steve's webstore.

All editions feature artwork and layouts by Simon Ward.

Tracklist:

The Storm
Sandsend
Red Dragon
The Roaring Waves
K-129
The Black Sea
Pacific Coast Highway

Preorders are now possible here.
The exclusive transparent light blue-lilac marbled LP & LP-Booklet is available in Steve Hackett's webstore.
In Germany, the aforementioned pearlescent Arctic-blue vinyl is available for pre-order at JPC.*
All formats are due for release on 28 August.

* Affiliate link