Since forming in 1997 in Italy, Secret Sphere wanted to crack the music industry but were completely unaware of where the journey was about to take them. Nearly twenty years later, they are one of the biggest names in Asia and specifically, Japan. Not only are all of their albums released in the country, it is also one of the only locations in the world you will find their rare debut demo tape. This tape has now been released as a special edition tape and shows the love that Japan has for Secret Sphere.
Now, October 14th is set to see the release of their first ever live album One Night In Tokyo. Aldo Lonobile and Andy Buratto are the only two surviving members from the late nineties but have since been joined by Michele Luppi (who also plays with Whitesnake), Gabriele Ciaccia, Federico Pennazzato, and Marco Pastorino. Since the now-famous demo, they have released seven studio albums with Portrait of a Dying Heart being their most recent which was released in 2012.
In more recent times, Secret Sphere have been touring their much adored fans in Japan which is where the idea for the album first came up. After discussing it completely, they decided to record the entirety of their Tokyo show and the result will be available in an album edition. The album is set to include all of their major hits including Under the Flag of Mary Read and Legend as well as some of their newer songs from their latest album.
From people who were lucky enough to attend the event itself, they say that we are all in for a treat as it was a warm evening where the band performed all of their songs with passion and heart. Lonobile has since said that he had always had the idea of doing a live album but the opportunity had never arisen until now. He also noted how many of his personal heroes had described to him the joy that can be gained from a Japanese crowd and that they weren’t wrong.
In celebration of the album’s release, the band also decided to record a new version of the fan-favourite Lie To Me which has nearly one million views online and quickly became one of their all-time favourite songs. This newer version sees Anette Olzon (Nightwish) team up with Michele Luppi to perform an outstanding duet that offers a new perspective of the already-famous lyrics. When the middle of October rolls around, fans will get to enjoy two CDs with 16 songs in total as well as a DVD showing the live performance meaning that it can be listened to at any time and anywhere.
In terms of the future, the good news just continues to come as the next album is said to be in the latter stages of the writing phase!
~RW
Image reference: https://fanart.tv/