Frequent Questions

While there are various meanings put out in the world, band leader Ellefson has his own take for this band.

“Most of us think we’re a good person,” he says, “but someone, somewhere thinks we’re a jerk. This is reflected in the logo with the halo (good) and the tail and horns (evil).”

Probably not.

Most of Utopia was recorded between 2009-2011, and yet it wasn’t released until 2026. There are three reasons for this:

1. Singers. From 2009-2016, we went through six different vocalists, each unable to continue work for different reasons (in order: unmotivated, uncommitted, personal issues, situation change, situation change, subpar performances).
2. Retirement. Band leader Randy Ellefson gave up in frustration and retired from music in 2016.
3. Resumption. In 2023, Ellefson resumed work with previous singer (#3) Chase Breedlove. Both have busy lives, so it two years to wrap it up, and then prepare for release.

The album started as Ellefson’s fifth solo album, albeit the first with vocals. This partly meant that others were session musicians.

With the years of delays due to singers, he resumed recording and releasing instrumental albums under his name. That suggested releasing vocal albums under a band name (i.e., Black Halo). The project is still basically a solo album with a different approach/genre.

That said, Breedlove has stepped up as co-writer and contributor. Both intend to continue the collaboration.

To avoid “death by algorithm” – Ellefson’s expression for online platforms using AI to determine whether something is desirable, a decision that impacts whether the platform promotes the song or makes it largely disappear.

The title track “Utopia” has a 37 second dirge-like intro. It may cause new listeners to skip the song, which Spotify etc. penalize. So Ellefson produced a “radio edit” with the intro removed. The full version is available on YouTube (all videos, like the lyric one, or a guitar play through) and if you buy either a download or CD of the album.