The Neal Morse Band - Neal Morse (lead vocals, guitars, keyboards), Mike Portnoy (drums, vocals), Randy George (bass), Bill Hubauer (keyboards, vocals), Eric Gillette (guitars, vocals) - will take fans on The Great Adventure with their latest double concept album, due out January 25th on Radiant Records via Metal Blade Worldwide.

A lyric video for the song "Vanity Fair" can be seen below:

“Let the great adventure now begin...”; the closing lines of The Neal Morse Band’s last and widely acclaimed 2016 album The Similitude Of A Dream (TSOAD), have proved to be strangely prophetic.

The band faced the enviable problem (like Pink Floyd, The Eagles and many other great bands before them) of having to follow up a hugely successful album, as drummer Mike Portnoy explains, “How do you follow an epic double concept album? Well, create another epic double album! I always knew topping The Similitude Of A Dream was going to be difficult, if not impossible, as I held it in such high regard... but I am absolutely blown away with what we have achieved here! We’ve created the ultimate companion to TSOAD.”

The Great Adventure is exactly that: a perfect companion piece to TSOAD’s partial retelling of John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress.

Morse admits that the band’s original intentions on re-entering the studio were largely to produce something very different from what has resulted. However, as the writing and recording process unfolded, it gradually became clear to the band that the unerring direction in which the music was heading was to build upon the work already completed in TSOAD, again using the space that the broader canvas of the double album format provides. Bassist Randy George explains, “I was sure that the follow up to TSOAD should be something quite different, but you have to follow your heart and go where the music wants to go.”

True to the album’s title, the creative process was indeed a ‘great adventure.’ Unlike many previous Morse albums, which have often been recorded in around a week, as many as 21 days of initial recording were laid down by these prolific and world-class musicians, producing an abundance of top quality material – enough for an album lasting well over two hours. This meant some ruthless decision-making: some already completed songs and characters had to go, and with studio time running out, new links and ideas were being composed and recorded up to the eleventh hour. “A lot of work and re-work has gone into this,” says Morse, “but I know that some of the most successful and far-reaching albums I’ve been involved with have been just like that - Sola Scriptura and Spock’s Beard’s Snow album come to mind.”

Another key question that had to be addressed was how to pull all the ideas together into a coherent whole. In the end, what unlocked this ‘adventure’ for Morse was the realisation that The Great Adventure needed a new voice and perspective. This time, it is that of the Pilgrim’s abandoned son, a younger, perhaps angrier, voice than was heard on TSOAD, as George explains, “The Great Adventure is nothing short of a miracle: it’s similar to TSOAD in concept and form, but it’s tougher and deeper in tone! It’s a very powerful work and I look forward to playing it live!”

The Great Adventure has everything that fans would expect from a Neal Morse Band album, and more: rock, metal, classical and jazz elements appear throughout, as well as some killer melodies, all played faultlessly by some of the greatest rock musicians on the planet. Says Morse, “This band continues to amaze me! I have to say it was a little daunting to follow up The Similitude Of A Dream, as it was such a special album and it delivered every night at our concerts.  But The Great Adventure is everything that I hoped it would be! I listened through it yesterday and I was in tears at the end!”

The Great Adventure will be available in three formats: a two CD package, two CD/DVD Special Edition featuring behind-the-scenes video clips of the making of the album, and three vinyl LPs. Pre-orders are available now at Radiant Records’ website.

The Great Adventure tracklisting:

Act I:

Chapter 1
"Overture"
"The Dream Isn’t Over"

Chapter 2
"Welcome To The World"
"A Momentary Change"
"Dark Melody"
"I Got To Run"
"To The River"

Chapter 3
"The Great Adventure"
"Venture In Black"
"Hey Ho Let’s Go"
"Beyond The Borders"

Act II:

Chapter 4
"Overture 2"
"Long Ago"
"The Dream Continues"
"Fighting With Destiny"
"Vanity Fair"

Chapter 5
"Welcome To The World 2"
"The Element Of Fear"
"Child Of Wonder"
"The Great Despair"
"Freedom Calling"
"A Love That Never Dies"

“Welcome To The World 2” video:

"The Great Adventure" video:

"Welcome To The World" lyric video:

The Neal Morse Band will bring The Great Adventure to fans worldwide with a new round of headlining tour dates, which begin February 2nd in Nashville at City Winery. For ticket information and VIP ticket sales go to radiantrecords.com. Check them out at any of the following stops, with more shows to be added in the coming months.

Tour dates:

February
2 - Nashville, TN - City Winery
3 - Tampa, FL - The Ritz (Cruise To The Edge Pre-Cruise Party)
4 - Tampa, FL - Cruise To The Edge 2019 (through February 9)
10 - Atlanta, GA - City Winery
11 - Charlotte, NC - Neighborhood Theatre
12 - Baltimore, MD - Soundstage
13 - Jersey City, NJ - White Eagle Hall
15 - Boston, MA - The Sinclair
16 - Philadelphia, PA - Keswick Theatre
17 - Westbury NY - The Space at Westbury
18 - Montréal, QC - Club Soda
19 - Quebec City, QC - Salle Sylvain Lelievre
21 - Toronto, ONT. - Opera House
22 - Pittsburgh, PA - Mr. Smalls Theatre
23 - Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom
24 - Detroit, MI - The Crofoot Ballroom
26 - St. Charles, IL - Arcada Theatre
27 - St. Louis, MO - Delmar Hall
28 - Dallas, TX - Gas Monkey Live

March
1 - Lawrence, KS - Granada Theatre
2 - Denver, CO - Summit Music Hall
5 - Seattle, WA - The Triple Door
6 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theatre
7 - San Francisco, CA - Slim's
8 - Whittier, CA - The Whittier Center Theatre
9 - Chandler, AZ - Bogle Theatre (Chandler Center For The Arts)
24 - London, United Kingdom Islington Assembly Hall
25 - Paris, France - The Alhambra
26 - Tilburg, Netherlands - O13
27 - Esch /Alzette, Luxembourg Rockhal Esch Sur Alzette
29 - Koln, Germany - Kantine
30 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Viften
31 - Goteborg, Sweden - Stora Teatern

April
1 - Stockholm, Sweden - Skandiascenen
3 - Berlin, Germany - Heimathafen
4 - Hamburg, Germany - Markthalle
5 - Leipzig, Germany - Halle d / Werk 2
6 - Warsaw, Poland - Progresja
7 - Brno, Czech Republic - SONO Music Club
9 - Munich, Germany - Technikum
10 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Z7 Konzertfabrik
11 - Lyon, France - C.C.O.
12 - Trezzo sull'Adda MI, Italy - Live Club
13 - Barcelona, Spain - Salamandra 1
14 - Madrid, Spain - Sala Mon

The Neal Morse Band recently released this video, announcing Morsefest 2019. A message states: "Join us August 30th and 31st, 2019 for another epic event you don't want to miss! More details about the performances coming in the following weeks!"

(Photo - Robert Smith)