"Book of Conquest" is, of course the second part of the emerging FLAG triptych. When I look back on those days of driving from Charlotte, NC where I lived and worked to Rick Hinkle's studio in Atlanta, GA almost every weekend for a year and a half to work on this enormous undertaking I always whisper to my self, "How did I do it ?.....How did I get it done??" It is the largest collection of tunes I've ever recorded at one time. All of the literally hundreds of guitar and keyboard overdubs were performed in real time and all were meticulously recorded onto two inch tape! Three full reels, thirteen songs, a brass section, two tremendous guest guitarists, Spencer Kirkpatrick and Tommy Strain as well as the staggering guitar work of Rick Hinkle. Vocal harmonies by "The Realm" (me, James Cobb, Chris Cornish) and the terrific drum work by Steve Pace top off an amazing cast of Atlanta musicians at their best. I got in some guitar work "The Conquerors" "Fanfare" as well as all of the piano work and once again I played bass as did Rick Hinkle on "Man in the high Castle". A special salute goes to the amazing engineer Scott Johnson for the clarity and sparkle he added to many of the mixes. "Book of Conquest" is it's own way is truly a manuscript or a 'magna carta' of stories about mankind's endless struggle to deal with how we are essentially, hopelessly warlike creatures. Though we are somewhat spiritually aware of a divine calling we tend to build whole societies entwined around the consequences of what we have done to conquer or outright destroy each other. More importantly since all of the stories here take place in vastly different time frames i.e. the distant past or the distant future or some other distant timeframe in between it seems that we will continue to be totally unwilling or completely unable to give up our destructive natures. Are there any bright spots in this dark hall of mirrors? I happen to think so..... I made sure that Jeanne d'Arc got her chance to openly curse her English tormentors before she succumbed to the flames as she burned at the stake in "Ancient Soldiers". I gave the forest land a true king in "Man in the High Castle"! I left the child alive in the destroyed and burning town in "The Conquerors" and we all know that never happens. I doomed the scheming Jesuit Priest to haunting the jungle along side the blood thirsty conquistador for eternity in the title song "Book of Conquest" as they were equally responsible for the blood of so many innocent's. I allowed the astronomers in "The Astronomers Dance" a drunken doomsday party right there in the observatory after realizing their world would be destroyed within the hour by a meteor hurtling down. I had an evil king decree all sorcerers put to death for not stopping said meteor from hurtling down in “Fire from Heaven"! In "Anvil Allies" I let a young cadet who could see the true future hide the fact he knew all but he would die on his flight team's first mission out on the frontier at the battle of Orion 2415. He knowingly watches as his best friends and fellow crewmen race toward heavy combat and certain doom on the front lines.... on and on and on we go.......