Montreal-based Mystery put their planned ninth studio album, Redemption, on hold in 2020. The ensuing break enabled Michel St-Père, who founded the band 37 years ago as a studio project, to write some of its more grandiose tracks. He explains how a heroic Canadian soldier found his way onto the album and why coming to the UK has always been a costly business for the Mysterons.

Words: Alison Reijman Images: Claude Dufresne

‘X’ marks the Mystery spot.

Michel St-Père is obviously a very happy man, thrilled to have finally released Mystery’s latest album, Redemption – which, despite the global events of the last three years, has exceeded all his expectations in terms of pre-sales and rave reviews.

“The comments about it are all positive so far and the pre-sale went really well. It’s been our best ever, so I think the fans did not forget about us during the past four years,” enthuses Mystery’s founder, guitarist, composer and producer. “We’re very happy about this, especially as we have sold a lot of the records in the UK.”

From beginning to end, Redemption is another Mystery masterclass in how to channel influences from classic British prog and US AOR, elevating them into panoramic symphonic soundscapes, full of moments that catch the breath and capture the imagination. Though much of the album was written and half-recorded before the pandemic, the enforced hiatus gave St-Père time to reflect, his observations providing the overarching theme for both the title track and epic closer Is This How the Story Ends?