Album Review: Hackett and Rothery - The Roaring Waves (Inside Out Music, 2026)
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- 7 min read
Written: 11th August 2026
As a fan of both Steve Hackett and Steve Rothery since the mid-eighties, the news of a collaborative album with two of the foremost guitarists in progressive rock – which was first mentioned several years ago – was most welcome. However, it has taken the best part of eight years for the duo to complete the album due to their respective itineraries. Now they are ready to share The Roaring Waves with the world, and promise something a little different than some might expect. “It's not the kind of album that guitarists normally make together,” says Steve Hackett. “I suspect that most guitarists tend to make albums where people try to outplay each other and show their chops to an enormous degree. I'll be very interested to see what the reaction is from fans. If you're expecting something typically proggy, I don't think this is it. It's more cinematic, almost ambient at times.”
The seven instrumental pieces are tied together by one theme: the profundity of the sea. Steve Rothery grew up in Whitby and took Steve Hackett back to his hometown when the two were looking for inspiration for their music. “I showed him around where I grew up, to get a feel of the place and the sea, and it was something thinking about being a Genesis fan when I was a kid and to be walking those same streets with him.” While Rothery was a Hackett fan long before he was a famous guitarist himself, there is clearly a mutual respect running throughout The Roaring Waves with neither man overshadowing the other.
Opening track The Storm begins with the call of gulls and rolling waves before foreboding Mellotron from Riccardo Romano (who many will know as part of Steve Rothery’s solo band). It is an exquisite example of how to use dynamics, space and melody to develop a track over time. Dark, ominous guitars take up the narrative and the cinematic nature of the music takes hold. As the tempest descends, a variety of sound effects add colour and atmosphere to the musical landscape being created by Hackett, Rothery and their band, driven throughout by the insistent drumming of Daniele Pomo. Once the guitars fully erupt, there is no mistaking the identity and tone of the two Steves and hearing Hackett and Rothery trade solos is one of the album's genuine highlights. As The Storm gradually reaches its climax and then recedes, the calmer closing section provides an opportunity to reflect on the journey that has unfolded. Shimmering keyboards suggest the clouds finally parting as sunlight breaks through once more. Wonderfully evocative, it demonstrates the strengths of the project from the outset.
As if to immediately demonstrate the variety on show across The Roaring Waves, second track Sandsend – named after a small fishing village near Whitby – is a lamenting and nostalgic reflection on childhood, solitude and adventure that also explores the enigmatic beauty of the Yorkshire coastline. Steve Rothery explains, “There is a magic to the place. I had lots of adventures there. There used to be a railway line that ran up the whole coast and a tunnel that goes through the cliffs and we used to walk through it, me, and my friends, which is so dangerous, insane. But that place made me something of a dreamer too, I had friends, but a lot of the time I was by myself. And I think that gave me this thing where you go into yourself - maybe all artists do? - and disappear. I think that came a little bit from growing up in that place.” The gentle rise and fall of the guitars, coupled with thoughtful drumming and understated bass work, allows the music to breathe naturally, creating a sense of place that is almost tangible. Without the aid of lyrics, Sandsend paints vivid pictures in the listener's mind, each passage inviting deeper interpretation on subsequent listens. There is a quiet humanity running through the composition that makes it particularly affecting, while the constantly shifting melodies ensure there is never any shortage of imagination-stirring moments. If The Storm captured the Yorkshire coastline at its most formidable, Sandsend reveals its capacity to inspire wonder, reflection and a deep sense of belonging.
Named after a ship that was used by the East India Trading Company, Red Dragon adds further textures and hues to the album with the use of hurdy gurdy, heavy riffs from Rothery and sitar guitar from Hackett to give an authentic Eastern feel. Structurally, it begins as one of the simpler tracks on The Roaring Waves but one that goes on to demonstrate how patient build-up can be remarkably effective in the right hands. Rather than dazzling through technical excess, Hackett and Rothery allow the various themes to unfold naturally, creating vivid images of distant horizons and discovery. As the piece evolves, Hackett's sitar guitar weaves gracefully around a series of faster melodic phrases from Rothery. There is a surprising amount happening beneath the surface and the interplay between the two guitarists rewards close attention. Yet, despite the richness of the arrangement, the music never feels cluttered or overwhelming, making the process of following its many threads an absorbing and thoroughly satisfying experience.
Title track The Roaring Waves begins with a gorgeous flourish of Spanish guitar from Steve Hackett. What follows is more shadowed and restless. Soaring guitar solos from both Hackett and Rothery evoke the image of a vessel at the mercy of uncertain waters, each musician bringing a subtly different emotional perspective to the unfolding narrative. Rothery's contribution conveys the determination of a crew battling against the elements, while the persistent staccato synthesiser hints at unseen dangers lurking below. Eventually the tension subsides and The Roaring Waves drifts towards a quieter conclusion, the sea once again calm, dark and inscrutable.
In many ways, K-129 is the most interesting track on The Roaring Waves. The inspiration came from the disappearance of the Soviet submarine K-129 in 1968, an incident that remains shrouded in mystery. As Steve Rothery explains, "Conspiracy theorists think this Russian submarine that went missing at the end of the 60s was trying to start a war between the States and China and that the captain scuttled the ship rather than let them start World War III, incredible." Whether fact, speculation or something in between, it is easy to understand why a story combining secrecy, tragedy and Cold War intrigue proved such fertile ground for musical inspiration. Based around an initial sequenced sound written by Rothery, it becomes a rhythmic, melodic and absorbing odyssey. There is an underlying sense of claustrophobia running throughout the piece, entirely appropriate given its subject matter, yet it is balanced by a constant feeling of movement and purpose.
At times, the sequencing recalls the work of Tangerine Dream and following Rothery's recent collaboration with Thorsten Quaeschning, this feels very much like musical territory he is comfortable exploring. The lush keyboards that emerge midway through the track add further depth and colour before the sequence suddenly falls silent, as though the submarine has stopped dead in the water. What follows is one of the album's most engrossing passages, the music momentarily suspended before the guitars gently guide the piece towards its conclusion. The arrangement remains remarkably clear, allowing us to appreciate both the broader sweep of the composition and the finer details that give it its character. The closing guitar solos are a masterclass in phrasing and restraint and K-129 - which has led me down a rabbit hole of research about its fate - rivals the title track as my favourite piece on the album.
The Black Sea – the first single from The Roaring Waves – plays with our emotions, sometimes melodic, sometimes sinister. The changing nature of the music reflects the fact that we know remarkably little about the sea. There is a pleasing sense of uncertainty running throughout the piece, with the exchanges between Hackett and Rothery feeling more like an act of exploration than the presentation of definitive answers. The guitar work is a fine example of the principle that less can often achieve more, with delightfully understated phrases ebbing and flowing between the two musicians. Throughout, the balance between mystery and wonder is maintained, allowing the music to retain its sense of intrigue while never losing sight of its melodic heart.
Given everything that has gone before, it is safe to say that final track Pacific Coast Highway is something of a surprise. In a swirling kaleidoscope of Americana - that reminds me of eighties arcade game Outrun – the two Steves and their band end the album with an undiluted sense of fun. “It might raise a few eyebrows in the why are they doing this department,” says Hackett. “It sounds like they smoked some stuff, but we didn’t. We were straight for it. We were we were sober throughout, your honour.” With a pulsating bass line from Rothery and harmonica from Hackett, no limitations were placed on the musical avenues the duo chose to explore. Rothery comments, “Steve’s harmonica is so, so good. He said to me at one point, you know, sometimes I think I should have been a harmonica player instead of guitar player.”
Given what Hackett has achieved on the guitar and the high regard in which he is held by fans and other guitarists alike, I suspect few will wish he had made a different choice. Pacific Coast Highway embraces the sense of freedom suggested by its title, evoking the feeling of driving along the coastline with the top down, the ocean stretching endlessly beside you and no pressing concern beyond the next bend in the road. If much of The Roaring Waves explores the sea as a source of danger and uncertainty, the album closes by reminding us that it can also inspire passion and adventure. An interesting departure from the rest of the album that will no doubt divide fans.
The Roaring Waves fully delivers on the cinematic promise made at the outset. Those familiar with Rothery's excellent The Ghosts of Pripyat will recognise a similar approach, with the music unfolding as a series of soundtracks to stories, places and events. The collaboration between Hackett and Rothery has undoubtedly been worth the wait, although this is not an album that immediately yields all of its treasures. Time, patience and careful listening are required to fully appreciate its many qualities. Throughout, both guitarists demonstrate that technical brilliance does not require constant displays of virtuosity, allowing melody, atmosphere and emotion to take precedence over empty showmanship. The result is a recording of considerable depth and one which has been worth the wait. It never feels like an album created to impress. Instead, it succeeds because every note appears to have been considered with care and every musical decision made in service of the wider picture. Highly recommended.
The Roaring Waves is released on 28th August 2026
STEVE HACKETT online:
STEVE ROTHERY online:
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