Album review: JETHRO TULL – The Zealot Gene

JETHRO TULL - The Zealot Gene

InsideOut Music [Release date 28.01.22]

Some, like me, haven’t quite recovered from Martin Barre’s departure from Tull in 2011/12. And, more recently, it appears his replacement Florian Ophale has given way to Joe Parrish-James although Ophale appears on the new album. On stage, bizarrely, the German successor even looked a bit like Barre.

Ian Anderson has always had a high turnover of staff since the late 1970s, and it seems now it is no different in terms of guitarists although the core band of David Goodier (bass) and John O’Hara (keyboards) have been mainstays since the early millennium.

Anderson has now fully reclaimed the Jethro Tull moniker, having billed himself a little more circumspectly in recent years. But that’s about it as far as changes go because the music is still very much the same, following 2014′s ‘Homo Erraticus’.

The opening tracks are even a throwback to Classic Tull. Mrs Tibbets has the spirited bounce of ‘Songs From The Wood’ whilst ‘Jacob’s Tales’ has an acoustic ‘Aqualung’ vibe along with ‘Sad City Sisters’. And ‘Mine Is The Mountain’ has echoes of ‘My God’.

Perhaps we can’t expect much more than reframed past glories with artists of a certain age?

And if we judge Tull by the usual prog rock benchmarks most of these tracks barely touch the four minute mark.

Lyrically, as with recent ‘solo’ albums - ‘Homo Erraticas’ and ‘Thick As A Brick 2′ – this is demanding, taking biblical themes as a basis for further observation. However, given the short track lengths, perhaps not appropriately balanced by enough flamboyant instrumentation with Ophale’s contribution in particular very perfunctory. You can see why Barre took a view a decade ago.

Oh well, ‘The Zealot Gene’ at least provides a platform for further touring. ***1/2

Review by David Randall

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