Progressive rock guitarists Steve Hackett (formerly of Genesis) and Steve Rothery (Marillion) have released their first full-length collaborative album, The Roaring Waves, an instrumental, cinematic work built around oceanic themes. The pair, who are close friends, deliberately set out to avoid the competitive, technically showy dynamic that can arise when two virtuoso guitarists share a studio, instead prioritising melody, atmosphere and emotional restraint over displays of technical skill.

The album took around eight years to complete and functions as a soundtrack to an imagined film, with tracks inspired by subjects including Rothery's childhood near the sea in Whitby and the final voyage of a lost Soviet submarine. It opens with "The Storm", which layers weather effects and a military-style rhythm beneath interweaving guitar lines from both musicians, who take turns leading and responding to one another throughout the record. Both guitarists have said the project is "deliberately non-virtuosic" and unlike typical guitarist collaborations, with Rothery noting that a few emotive notes over a strong chord sequence resonate more than technical flourishes such as sweep-picking.