MASTERS OF REALITY To Release 'Pine/Cross Dover' In August

MASTERS OF REALITY will release its long-awaited sixth studio album, "Pine/Cross Dover", on August 24 via Brownhouse/Mascot Records.

"Pine/Cross Dover" was recorded at the Hacienda in North Hollywood, California and features guest appearances by EAGLES OF DEATH METAL bassist Brian "Big Hands" O'Connor and guitarist Dave Catching, as well as former QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE guitarist Brendon McNichol, among others.

MASTERS OF REALITY leader Chris Goss stated about "Pine/Cross Dover", "I did a rock 'n' roll record this time — I was able to exorcise a lot of different styles of music that are really important in my life. And not just LED ZEPPELIN, CREAM, THE BEATLES, or BLACK SABBATH. It's a lot of everything on this record. But proud to say, not one acoustic guitar — it's all electric and very rhythm-oriented."

The album's origins can be pinpointed to a simple question. "It was in 2008 that Ed van Zijl, who is the head of [Mascot Records], wrote and said, 'Do you feel like doing another record?' So after a long period of recording it finally is done and I'm proud of it."

The outcome is the first-ever MASTERS OF REALITY album to feature long-and-winding free-form instrumentals. "The first one is called 'Johnny's Dream', which is a little nod to John McLaughlin," explained Goss. "Because I've been listening to a lot of MAHAVISHNU in the last year. It's music that's been doing it for me lately. Pretty much improvised except for a melody figure that gets repeated."

He continued, "The last song on the record is called 'Alfalfa', and it's a twelve-minute improvisation. It was the four of us — Mark Christian, Brendon McNichol, myself and John Leamy. We'd never been in the same room before, and the twelve minutes that's 'Alfalfa', you'll hear it. Honestly, it's been a dream of my whole life to play music like that, the way it came out. There was no sketchbook, no plan whatsoever — we just plugged in and played, and what happens in that twelve minutes is a dream come true for me."

However, not all of "Pine/Cross Dover" is instrumental, according to Goss, who picks two of his favorite rhythm-heavy tracks. "There's a song called 'Worm in the Silk', it's kind of a dub-bass piece," he said. "There's a nod to PUBLIC IMAGE on this record — some of the ways the songs flow are bass- and drum-oriented like that. That song has a really long psychedelic chant on the end of it. There's also this song called 'Rosie's Presence' that swings like 'Presence'-era ZEPPELIN."

"Pine/Cross Dover" track listing:

Part One: Pine

01. Absinthe, Jim And Me
02. King Richard TLH
03. Worm In The Silk
04. Always
05. Johnny's Dream

Part Two: Cross Dover

06. Up In It
07. Dreamtime Stomp
08. Rosie's Presence
09. The Whore Of New Orleans
10. B) The Pharacies Fall
11. C) The Wicked Flood
12. Testify To Love
13. Alfalfa

The song "King Richard LTH" is available for streaming on the MASTERS OF REALITYMySpace page.

The album can be pre-ordered at MascotRecords.com.