King Crimson are working on their first studio album in over 20 years.
The London progressive rock band were believed to have ceased activity in 2022, following the death of co-founder Ian McDonald. Late last year, the group’s songwriter and lyricist Peter Sinfield passed away, before former percussionist Jamie Muir died this February.
Speaking to Metrograph in 2022, ex-member Tony Levin explained: “The sense I got from Robert [Fripp] was that it’s over. Maybe King Crimson will speak to him in the future in some way, and will revive its head with who-knows-what line-up?”
The latest iteration of King Crimson toured in 2021. Their 13th and most recent studio album, ‘The Power To Believe’, was released in 2003. Now, it appears that the band are working on the LP’s long-awaited follow-up.
During a new interview with Goldmine Magazine, singer/guitarist Jakko Jakszyk talked about joining King Crimson in 2013.
“It was an amazing thing to have done, and in a way, part of it’s still happening,” he told the outlet. “As we speak, we’re doing a King Crimson studio album.”
Jakszyk continued: “When that will come out and what format or how – that’s beyond my brief.”
He added: “But yeah, we’ve been doing it piecemeal, and then a couple of months ago, the management said, ‘Can we?’ So, yeah. I’ve been recording that with a view to it coming out in some format at some point. But who knows when?”
Jakszyk confirmed that the forthcoming project would feature the most recent King Crimson line-up. This consisted of himself, alongside Fripp, Mel Collins, Levin, Pat Mastelotto, Gavin Harrison and Jeremy Stacey.
He also revealed that the new album would contain “the studio versions” of new songs King Crimson had previously debuted on live releases, “and some other bits and pieces will emerge from putting it together”.
Jakszyk explained: “Plus, there’s also an album I made with Robert before I joined Crimson called ‘The Scarcity Of Miracles’. There’s a version of it that’s about to come out with loads and loads of extra stuff.”
A documentary film about the group, titled In The Court Of The Crimson King, was released in 2022.
Meanwhile, former frontman and guitarist Adrian Belew recently embarked on a collaborative UK and European tour with Talking Heads’ Jerry Harrison, dubbed ‘Remain In Light’.
