OPEN SKY (2LP) | VINYL RECORD (LP)

Newly remastered for it's first-ever vinyl release, this edition of Iona includes seven bonus tracks, stunning new artwork, and a 2-disc gatefold sleeve format. The album draws inspiration from the story of Columba, an Irish monk of kingly descent who, after a terrible battle that claimed 3,000 lives and for which he felt responsible, vowed to win for Christ as many souls as had been slain. Setting sail in 563 AD, Columba went into exile and never again saw his beloved Ireland, eventually landing on the small island of Iona off the west coast of Scotland, where he established a place of prayer and learning that helped bring many Celtic peoples of Scotland and Northern Britain to an earthy, humble, deeply spiritual form of Christianity. Iona, the Tir-Na-Nog of legend, "The Island of the Forever Young," later known as the burial place of many kings and possibly MacBeth, along with her sister isle Lindisfarne off the north-eastern tip of England, has long been described as one of those places where the veil between heaven and earth feels especially "thin." Newly remastered for vinyl from the original master tapes and expanded with additional mixes and bonus tracks, this album seeks to capture in words and music the landscapes and atmosphere of these uniquely spiritual places, a vision reflected in the praise it received on release: 21CC Magazine called Iona "a simply stunning musical trio" with "a sound all their own," citing Celtic, classical, rock, and jazz influences; Cross Rhythms Magazine praised it's "richly evocative music" and "crafty synthesis of the Gaelic and the symphonic, jazz-rock fusion and ethnic folk influences"; White Throne Magazine described the band's work as "dramatically different," blending classical rock with modern ethnic experimentation in the vein of Clannad and Peter Gabriel; and CCM Magazine noted that the music on Iona's debut album was "as refreshing as the moors of their namesake Scottish Isle."