Ex-SPOCK'S BEARD frontman NEAL MORSE kicked off his Momentum tour on October 2nd in Nashville, TN. He has checked in with the following update:

"Along with the live performance of the new Momentum album from Neal Morse, comes the musical genius of Mike Portnoy, Randy George, and the new band of master musicians, Adson Sodré, Eric Gillette and Bill Hubauer.

If you haven't seen the new band in action, here is a video clip to give you a sampling of what these guys are capable of. This video clip is straight off the board from a recent show in Finland, and was the encore that allowed the band to really cut loose.

Check out the tour dates here and don't miss your chance to see this group in action.

CU out there soon!"

Coming off of a highly successful 2011 marked by the release of the Testimony 2 album, and an enthusiastically attended tour throughout the US, Mexico and Europe, Morse could easily have justified going on a creative hiatus to catch his breath. But that would fly in the face of his convictions and the sense that he is being led to build upon the swell of success he is experiencing.

In January 2012, Morse was pondering the possibilities of a change in direction. After all, it had been a decade since he left the progressive rock stalwart Spock's Beard to pursue a solo career that would allow him to write more freely about his personal faith. And in that time he had recorded six impressive studio records that were heralded for their unique hybrid of epic compositions that tested the boundaries of musicianship while maintaining a remarkable sense of melody through irresistible hooks and addictive choruses. He could have taken a break. Or gone in an entirely new direction. But he felt led otherwise, as summed up in the new record’s title track: “You’ve got some new momentum, you better keep going.”

Morse’s long time studio partner and friend Mike Portnoy (ADRENALINE MOB, ex-DREAM THEATER) had a small window in January 2012 when he could record. The only problem was, there was only one song and a few bits and pieces written. Taking a leap of faith, he scheduled a recording session with the drumming legend and longtime bass player Randy George in two weeks, hoping that the music would arrive before the musicians. And boy did it ever.

Momentum features five exceptional stand alone songs and one longer conceptual piece. In addition to the accessible title track, there’s the quirkily clever, GENTLE GIANT-inspired 'Thoughts Part 5', which follows in the footsteps of the previous 'Thoughts' tracks penned by Morse with Spocks Beard. 'Smoke and Mirrors' trods an introspective, acoustic path, while 'Weathering Sky' offers a raucous cry for deliverance and renewal from a searching soul. Rounding out the shorter tracks is 'Freak', an upbeat, strings-charged song unlike anything Neal has recorded to date. Last comes 'World Without End', a near 34-minute, six-part epic that contains everything that defines Morse as a master of the genre.

Another highlight of this record is that, in addition to a masterful solo by guitar wizard PAUL GILBERT, there are contributions from Adson Sodré, Bill Hubauer and Eric Gillette - three musicians who were selected as members of Morse’s new touring band through an exciting YouTube driven open audition process.

While Momentum propels Morse forward and further cements his standing as a prolific progressive rock icon, it steers clear of the potential “more of the same” trap, and features fresh musical angles and some of the finest performances to date by the Morse, Portnoy, George team.

Momentum was released on September 11th. The North American tour that spotlights the fresh talent of his new live band, with stops in such cities as Nashville, Jacksonville, New York, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, Seattle and Mexico City.

Momentum tracklisting:

'Momentum'

'Thoughts Part 5'

'Smoke and Mirrors'

'Weathering Sky'

'Freak'

'World Without End'

i - Introduction

ii - Never Pass Away

iii - Losing Your Soul

iv - The Mystery

v - Some Kind of Yesterday

vi - World Without End