Prog-rock supergroup DarWin have unleashed their brand-new studio album Distorted Mirror, a sprawling follow-up to last year’s Five Steps On The Sun.
At the heart of DarWin is the partnership between guitarist and songwriter DarWin and legendary drummer Simon Phillips, whose credits stretch from Toto, Jeff Beck and The Who through to Tears for Fears and Judas Priest. The pair first began writing together in 2015, and what started as an informal jam session grew into one of prog’s most ambitious modern projects.
Phillips’ career has mirrored the growth of rock music itself. Across five decades he has worked with Pete Townshend, Gary Moore, Big Country, the Chemical Brothers and even led his Grammy-nominated jazz fusion band Protocol. For him, DarWin offers another outlet – one that blends heavy grooves, intricate arrangements and experimental textures.
“DarWin has always been about exploration,” Phillips explained. “We never wanted to repeat the past. Every album is an open canvas.”
Distorted Mirror features some of the most celebrated names in contemporary music. Matt Bissonette (Joe Satriani, Elton John, Ringo Starr) delivers soaring lead vocals alongside his trademark bass grooves. Rising star Mohini Dey, hailed as one of the finest young bassists in the world, drives the rhythm section with hypnotic precision. Guitar maestro Greg Howe (Michael Jackson, Justin Timberlake, Protocol) brings fluid fretwork and fiery solos, while Derek Sherinian (Dream Theater, Sons of Apollo, Black Country Communion) handles keyboard duties with his trademark prog flair.
The full line-up reads like a roll call of virtuosity. Past collaborators have included Guthrie Govan, Billy Sheehan, Julian Pollack, Andy Timmons and Jesse Siebenberg – a reminder that DarWin is less a fixed band and more a progressive musical laboratory.
The tracklist leans from heavy and dystopian themes in Man vs. Machine and 33rd Century Man through to the cinematic sweep of Cry a River and Glow. Title track Distorted Mirror serves as the album’s centrepiece, a sprawling reflection on identity in a fractured digital age.
The eight-track set includes:
Rising Distortion
Distorted Mirror
Man vs. Machine
33rd Century Man
Cry a River
Glow
Loophole
Winter Fare
Accompanying the album are a suite of striking visuals. The official performance video for Man vs. Machine is online now, alongside an alternate conceptual cut dubbed the Dawn of the Robots Version. Meanwhile, Rising Distortion has its own high-impact music video, extending the band’s vision into film-like territory.
While the musicianship is staggering, the band’s namesake insists the project is not about self-celebration. “DarWin is about the music,” he says. “It’s about taking listeners on a journey. The spotlight belongs to the songs.”
That vision is reflected in the group’s growing discography:
Distorted Mirror (2025)
Five Steps On The Sun (2024)
DarWin 3: Unplugged (2021)
DarWin 2: A Frozen War (2020)
Origin of Species (2018)
Distorted Mirror is available now to stream, download and purchase physically, with special edition CD and T-shirt bundles also available. For fans of progressive rock, virtuoso musicianship and adventurous songwriting, it’s one of 2025’s must-hear releases.
