DarWin‘s "Origin Of Species" was one of the last year’s highlights: a cinematic album with a stellar cast and with a reach that went far beyond the record’s prog boundaries. Its scope left no doubt there would be another chapter in this saga, yet no one could hope for the second installment to emerge as early as November 6th, 2020. Titled “Darwin 2: A Frozen War” and featuring the same principal line-up of DarWin, Simon Phillips, Greg Howe and Matt Bissonette who are aided by Billy Sheehan, Guthrie Govan and Derek Sherinian, the new offering will see the light of day in various formats, with the vinyl version containing an entire platter of alternative versions.
A Frozen War
Here’s the standard tracklist as slated for CD and first LP (read the review):
1. Nightmare Of My Dreams
2. Future History
3. Eternal Life
4. A Frozen War
5. Another Year
But its continuation on the second LP looks like this – as rearranged from the project’s two chapters and remixed by Simon:
Side A:
1. Escape the Maze (Orchestral)
2. Nightmare of My Dreams (Orchestral)
3. Slowly Melting (Unplugged)
4. Forever (Orchestral)
Side B:
1. One Horizon (Unplugged)
2. Rise (Orchestral)
3. Last Chance (Orchestral)
4. Another Year (Acapella)
Whether this album will be on par with its predecessor remains to be seen.
