Acclaimed for his work as a founding member of prog metal standouts Haken, as well as Nova Collective, Mike Portnoy’s Shattered Fortress, and as a Strandberg Guitars associate artist, Richard Henshall is now prepared to release his debut solo album, The Cocoon.

A video for the song "Limbo" can be found below. "'Limbo' focuses on the atmospheric side of my sound and draws influence from the likes of Sigur Ros and Volcano Choir. The lyrics touch upon the idea of being stuck between two worlds whilst being bound by a fate that you have no control of. Miles Skarin from Crystal Spotlight put together this beautiful video with his own footage of the dramatic, barren landscape of Iceland, which ties in perfectly with soundscapes within the music." - Richard Henshall

The album will be released on August 9. Pre-order here.

Tracklisting:

"Pupa"
"Cocoon"
"Silken Chains"
"Limbo"
"Lunar Room"
"Twisted Shadows"
"Afterglow"

"Limbo" video:

"Twisted Shadows":

Consisting of tracks that range from dense polyrhythmic passages to delicate minimalistic interludes and everything in between, 'The Cocoon' features Henshall’s trademark guitar and keyboard playing throughout, and marks his debut performance as a lead vocalist.

The multi-layered, richly textured and often heart wrenching album, represents four years of creative input from Henshall and draws inspiration from artists such as Bon Iver, Meshuggah, Squarepusher and Tigran Hamasyan, which has resulted in, arguably, his most ambitious and eclectic work to date.

Completing the lineup for the release are Conner Green (Haken) on bass and Matthew Lynch (Cynic and Nova Collective) on drums.

“Conner and Matt never cease to astound me with what they can achieve on their instruments. They both have a fresh, unique approach to playing, which has really breathed new life into the music on The Cocoon. They really outdid themselves on this record."

The album also features a stellar cast of guests including Jordan Rudess, Marco Sfogli, David Maxim Micic, Jazz saxophonist Adam Carrillo and Bent Knee's Ben Levin, Jessica Kion and Chris Baum.

(Photo - Anne-Marie Forker)