The Quill to Release Master of the Skies May 8
Pro-shop band. It wasn’t a surprise finding that out in-person at Planet Desert Rock Weekend VI (review here), of course. I’ve heard The Quill records. I know the story. They were there when the thing was just becoming a thing. Of course they’re professional. I have to imagine in their 35-plus years they’ve been on every size stage you can imagine.
I was into 2024’s Wheel of Illusion (review here), which leaned hard into classic rock influences, and interviewed Christian Carlsson (feature here) for the prior release, 2021’s Earthrise, and at least on this site it goes back a decade before that but I’ll spare you the link dump. The new record is called Master of the Skies, and if they’re saying it’s a bit darker, well so is the world, so that makes sense. Doesn’t mean it won’t have hooks.
Album art and info follow, courtesy of the PR wire:
THE QUILL’s set release date for new METALVILLE album
Some bands chase trends. Others outlive them.
Swedish hard rock veterans The Quill return with their new studio album Master of the Skies on May 8th via Metalville.
Master of the Skies marks another chapter in a long-running conversation between groove, weight, melody, and muscle — this time with a darker tint.
The songs move through light and shade, tightening the screws one moment and opening the throttle the next. It’s heavier without being blunt, moodier without losing swing — heavy rock with depth lines and character, earned the hard way.
The Quill is a band comfortable in its own skin, writing music because they still mean it, not because anyone asked. Think Sabbath’s sense of gravity, the groove-heavy swagger of classic heavy rock, and the lived-in confidence of musicians who’ve been there, done that — and kept the amps on anyway.
The band once again teamed up with Erik Nilsson at 491 Studios, a place that by now knows their sound almost as well as the band does.
No reinvention. No nostalgia trip. Just The Quill doing what they’ve always done best: writing heavy rock songs that stand on their own feet.
The sky is still the limit — and The Quill remains its master.
Quotes about Master of the Skies:
Magnus Ekwall: “We focused a lot on atmosphere. Some songs needed space and restraint, others wanted to explode — I liked letting the light and darkness decide how far to push it.”
Christian Carlsson: “This time, we didn’t force a ‘Quill sound’ onto the songs. We let each track build its own identity, even if that meant going down unfamiliar paths.”
Roger Nilsson: “The big difference on this album is how much it came together as a band. Everyone shaped the songs, and the contrasts grew naturally from that.”
Jolle Atlagic: “We experimented more in the studio than usual. Some ideas stuck, some didn’t — but that trial-and-error is what gave the album its movement.”
Tracklisting for The Quill’s Master of the Skies
1. Master of the Skies
2. Dark City
3. You Can Not Kill My Soul
4. It’s Over
5. Son of Light
6. If Tomorrow Never Comes
7. Now You Are Gone
8. Light Turns Low
9. Mastodon
10. Master of the Skies (Reprise)
LINEUP
Magnus Ekwall – vocals (Ayreon, Mountain of Power)
Christian Carlsson – guitar (Cirkus Prütz)
Roger Nilsson – bass (Spiritual Beggars, Arch Enemy, Firebird)
Jolle Atlagic – drums (Hanoi Rocks, Electric Boys, Firebird)
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https://www.metalville.de
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