Out Now: Jethro Tull Re-Emerges with New Album, ‘The Zealot Gene’ (First in Over Two Decades!)

Ending a nearly two-decade gap between new studio recordings, Ian Anderson and Jethro Tull have returned today, Jan. 28, with The Zealot Gene. It’s the 22nd full-length record from the legendary band, following 2003’s The Jethro Tull Christmas Album.

Taking it a step further, it’s the first collection of all new, original material since 1999’s J-Tull Dot Com. The new record is Tull’s first with its new label home, InsideOutMusic/Sony Music.

The Zealot Gene, Jethro Tull's first new studio album in over two decades, is OUT NOW!

Buy/stream here: https://t.co/lcLsBOCPub#JethroTull #TheZealotGene pic.twitter.com/w9I9IgFcK7

— Jethro Tull (@jethrotull) January 28, 2022

Jethro Tull previewed the album in recent weeks with a few tracks, each of which indicated the band is very much firing on all cylinders at this stage of its existence:

Explained Anderson of the song:

“The title track offers many allusions to the radical, politically-charged world of populism in leadership. As a song lyric, it sums up, for me, the divisive nature of societal relationships and the extreme views which fuel the fires of hate and prejudice, more so today perhaps, than at any time in history. Perhaps you think you know who I might have been thinking about here but, in reality, there are probably right now at least five prominent, dictatorial national figures who could fit the bill.”

The Zealot Gene is available in a variety of formats, in addition to digital streaming platforms.

Click here to pick up The Zealot Gene on CD from our Rock Cellar Store
Click here to pick up The Zealot Gene on Deluxe CD from our Rock Cellar Store
Click here to pick up The Zealot Gene on 2-LP from our Rock Cellar Store
Click here to pick up The Zealot Gene on Deluxe LP from our Rock Cellar Store

As for the current lineup of Jethro Tull, which has undergone significant changes over the years and currently features only Anderson as far as the “classic” lineup of the band is concerned:

Ian Anderson – Flute, acoustic guitar, harmonica, vocals
Joe Parrish-James – Guitar
Florian Opahle – Guitar (album only)
Scott Hammond – Drums.
John O’Hara – Piano, keyboards and accordion
David Goodier – Bass guitar

Some additional context regarding the new Jethro Tull album:

A record that began to take shape as early as 2017, ‘The Zealot Gene’, in many ways, seeks to defy convention during a time when the business of being a touring and recording artist has never faced more uncertainties. Tull bandleader Ian Anderson holds no reservations about the role for which the mythos and themes of Biblical storytelling played in the lyrical content of the new album, saying:

“While I have a spot of genuine fondness for the pomp and fairytale story-telling of the Holy Book, I still feel the need to question and draw sometimes unholy parallels from the text. The good, the bad, and the downright ugly rear their heads throughout, but are punctuated with elements of love, respect, and tenderness.”

Stream the record below.