Neal Morse: Sola Scriptura

 

Neal Morse: Sola Scriptura

By 2007, Neal Morse was no stranger to concept albums, having already released one with Spock's Beard ("Snow"), and three as a solo artist ("Testimony", "One", "?"). So when it was announced that the next album would be a concept album, I remember being excited, but not really surprised.

The story behind the making of this one goes that a friend of Neal's suggested a concept album about reformist Martin Luther, and his ambition to translate the bible into the words that his people could read. Neal wasn't immediately keen on the idea, but after some prayers, and reflection, he decided that he would make the album. I for one am glad that he did, as it has long been one of my favorite Neal Morse released. One of the things that drew me in to the album was the fact that it clocks in at 76 minutes, and only have four tracks. That means that there are some epic length tunes here. I mean there has to be!

The album starts off quite heavily, the instrumental introduction to the "The Door". The guitars are heavy, the drums are pounding, the bass is full of energy, and the keyboards are among some of the best played on any Neal Morse led album. As with any NM intro piece, a lot of the albums themes are touched on here, before we hit the second part of the song, and the vocals come in. "In the Name of God" keeps the same heavy sound and momentum as the intro, and sets up this 29 minute tune (and the rest of the disc) perfectly. All I Ask For" takes things down quite a few notches, and is a beautifully melodic piece, with wonderful vocal melodies. "Mercy For Sale" is a sort of melodically heavy part, with some cool guitar work, and some of the best vocals on the album. "Keep Silent" is a bit of a slower part, with killer guitar riffs, and again, some great vocal melodies. The closing section "Upon the Door" is among my favorite parts of the album. There are beautiful, and melodic moments, there's an absolutely face-melting guitar solo (I think this is played by Paul Gilbert of Mr. Big), and the conclusion is some of Neal's best writing.

"The Conflict" is the second track, and is a shorter song, at only 25 minutes. Once again, this one starts heavy, with some crunchy riffs, and some aggressive sounding vocals. As with "The Door", this tune goes through several mood changes, from the heavy "Do You Know My Name", "Two Down, One To Go" (preceded by a fantastic acoustic guitar piece), and "The Vineyard", to the wonderfully melodic "Party To the Lie", "Underground", and "Already Home" (with my favorite vocal performance of this suite. It's so melodically beautiful), this song is a progressive rock masterpiece. The keyboards play a major role here, as with any good progressive rock epic, and Neal is one of the greats on the keys, even if he isn't as often namechecked as such. In fact, the entire band is tight, and playing fantastically on this track (as well as the rest of the album, of course).

"Heaven In My Heart" is the shortest track on the album, by far. At just over five minutes, this is just a beautiful ballad, and the only place to really stop and catch our breath on this album. With some wonderfully melodic vocals, and beautiful piano, this one is a sing-along for sure. Such a beautiful piece of music. Neal sings this one with such heart, and soul, it feels like it's the real cornerstone of the album.

And now we finally come to "The Conclusion", and as always, Neal knows how to finish an album. This track is a 16+ minute beast, kicking off with "Randy's Jam", a bit of the song set aside for Randy George to show everyone how a real musician plays the bass. Similar to "Ladies And Gentlemen, Mr. Ryo Okumoto On the Keyboards", this piece doesn't add to the story, but it's one hell of a cool way to showcase a brilliant musician. And while spotlighting Randy, there's also some amazing drum, and keyboard work. Elsewhere on this track, there are some amazing vocal melodies, some musical passages recalling earlier parts of the song, and two of my favorite pieces of the album, "Come Out of Her", and the beautifully melodic "Clothed With the Sun". As I've said, Neal knows how to write a great ending to an epic, and this one is no exception.

In 202, Neal would follow this album up with a disc called "Sola Gratia", and while the story follows someone else, the two are very much connected. Still, if I had to pick a favorite of the two, it would be "Scriptura". To me, this may be one of the finest concept albums that Neal has ever been a part of. And I am so thankful that he decided to take on the challenge of telling this story, because he did it with such style, and grace. I've always been a firm believer that Neal can do no wrong when it comes to writing a good progressive rock concept album, and this album is no exception. Brilliant from start to finish!