Power of Metal.dk Review

Neal Morse
Momentum
Rating
Style: Prog Rock
Release date: 10 September, 2012
Playing time: 61:20
 

As you might know: Neal Morse is one of my favorite recording artists and everything he touches is in my humble opinion as close to gold as it gets, so I might not be as objective as you'd like... but so be it!

On "Momentum" he returns with his normal partners in crime: Mike Portnoy on drums and Randy George on bass, along with a fine line of guest musicians, which counts Paul Gilbert, who contribute with a guitar solo on the title track. The result is perhaps his most straight forward album to date, relatively speaking, because this is still prog rock in it's purest form. But some of the songs are actually kept quite simple, take a listen to "Freak" and you'll know what I mean.

On the other hand we have the epic prog monster: "World Without End", where one magnificent prog part chases another and where Neal is going all the way out on the edge, musically. Once more he's exploring and pushing the boundaries of his own musical universe with yet another brilliant progressive epos that surely will be very pleasing for prog rock fans.

It might not quite reach the same level as some of his previous albums, but it is still head and shoulders above most of the competition. I won't get into the lyrical concept, because people should build their own opinion about his statements and ideas.

"Momentum" is another strong album from Neal Morse, flawlessly produced and the musicianship is as always extremely high, so fans of his can buy this without any hesitation!


Tracklist
01. Momentum (6:26)
02. Thoughts Part 5 (7:51)
03. Smoke and Mirrors (4:37)
04. Weathering Sky (4:15)
05.
Freak (4:30)
06. World Without End (33:38)
     I. Introduction
     II. Never Pass Away
     III. Losing Your Soul
     IV. The Mystery
     V. Some Kind of Yesterday
     VI. Never Pass Away (Reprise)
Label: InsideOut Music
Distribution: EMI (Denmark)
Reviewed by: Kenn Jensen
Date: 26 August, 2012
Website: www.nealmorse.com