Working as a guitar player and songwriter in a host of bands and projects through the years (Ostrogoth, Thorium a.o.), Tom Tee launched Entering Polaris in 2018 with the debut album ‘Godseed’. The idea behind Entering Polaris is to realise a long overdue dream:
creating music that not only unites influences from all the kinds of music Tom has loved since his teenage years, but also bringing together a plethora of stunning vocalists from all across the scene. Due to the large number of songs that are continuously being written – and born from the aspiration to up the ante and take the bold and ambitious route – the decision was made to write and produce not one, not two or even three, but four full-length albums this past year.
These are arranged as follows:
Album 1: ‘Atlantean Shores’ – six-string guitars; traditional melodic/progressive metal
Album 2: ‘And Silently The Age Did Pass’ – fully acoustic; dark and atmospheric
Album 3: ‘Myths In Motion’ – seven-string guitars; modern, heavy and progressive
Album 4: ‘Songs Of Ivory And Obsidian’ – all piano; delicate and emotional
These four records will be released as two double-releases.
The full cast of vocalists for these first two albums (in order of appearance) is:
Mike Andersson (Tungsten, Cloudscape)
Nick Holleman (Powerized, Methusalem)
Sindre Nedland (In Vain)
David Marcelis (Thorium, Lord Volture, Black Knight)
Thomas Vikström (Therion)
Audrey Dandeville (Irradiance)
Roy Khan (Conception, Kamelot)
Benny Willaert (23 Acez, Thorium)
Henrik Fevre (Anubis Gate)
Arno Menses (Subsignal, Sieges Even)
Fabio Lione (Angra, Rhapsody, Vision Divine)
Jeffrey Rademakers (Spartan)
Lance King (Balance of Power, Pyramaze, solo)
Louis Soenens (Fields Of Troy)
Georg Neuhauser (Serenity)
John Yelland (Judicator, Principium, Disforia, Dire Peril)
Anneleen Olbrechts (Thorium)
Ranging from classic metal through modern progressive metal, to acoustic music, prog rock, power metal and beyond, and mixed and mastered by Simone Mularoni (DGM, Michael Romeo, Ray Alder) at Domination Studios, these new records offer a huge collection of tracks that burst with energy, melody and atmosphere, featuring a monumental cast of vocalists with wildly differing styles. Though not interconnected through a single concept or storyline, the albums take the listener on a marathon journey across dozens of songs that boast rich production values, real strings, choirs and orchestrations plus a grand gathering of renowned and stellar singers.
Atlantean Shores:
1. Forever 6:00
2. The Lords Of The Last 3:22
3. The Tempest And The Sea 7:36
4. Sands Of Time 4:32
5. Do Raindrops Aspire To Be Oceans? 6:12
– Part I: The Rain
– Part II: The River
– Part III: The Ocean
– Part IV: Cycle
6. Six Directions Of Space 19:41
– Prologue: Beyond The Aquila Rift (Part 1)
– Part I: House Of Suns
– Part II: Remembering Blue Earth (a) A Signal From The Deep, (b) On The Steel Breeze
– Part III: Nostalgia For Infinity (Revisited)
– Part IV: Terminal Planet (a) A Falling Of Angels, (b) Dirigible, (c) The Mad Machines
– Part V: Ice (a) Relativistic, (b) Cruising Speed
– Part VI: The Void (a) Exodus, (b) Merlin’s Flowers, (c) Only These Years
– Epilogue: Beyond The Aquila Rift (Part 2)
7. Extraordinary Journeys 4:25
8. A Season Away 4:05
9. This Old Land (An Arrow To The Sun) 3:40
10. Distant Horizons 10:25
– Part I: Terra Incognita
– Part II: Discovery
– Part III: Odyssey
– Part IV: Glory And Gold
– Part V: Under The Southern Cross
– Part VI: A Brighter Tomorrow
– Part VII: Atlantean Shores
And Silently The Age Did Pass:
tba