Lyrically, this is really an amalgamation of the story of “the prodigal son” and the second part of Pilgrims’s Progress, rather than a direct musical interpretation “Part II” of Pilgrim’s Progress. And then Neal even admits in the documentary that this was a difficult album for him. With the DVD documentary it becomes apparent that the other band members seem a bit unsure as well. The question of “is this a sequel or not” seems a fair question. But The Great Adventure doesn’t exactly follow that formula and seems to be more “inspired” by the great novel and less of an adaptation of the second phase of the original saga.
I do think that Similitude had a very purposeful storyline – it was easy to relate to all of the characters and principles from Pilgrim’s Progress. I confess that I’ve never understood what Neal was doing with the story. Yes, the musicianship is fantastic and yes, the melodies are beautiful. I don’t mean this to be negative, it is merely an expression of the reality of what my ears perceive. Take it or leave it – these gifted musicians continue to light the way, but at the same time, there isn’t a single song – if you are a fan of the genre – which you haven’t heard before. The bad news – these songs are more of the same.
The good news – these songs are more of the same. If you are a fan of Neal Morse prog rock, there isn’t much you won’t enjoy about The Great Adventure. But what could possibly surpass what these guys accomplished with one of the greatest opus’s of contemporary progressive rock? The Great Adventure does expand upon and continue the saga, but has this been executed as brilliantly as what has come before? Musically, do Neal Morse and friends step outside the confines of what they’ve already delivered? Do they have more to say lyrically? These are worthy questions for sure, but I dare put forth that they are largely questions that probably won’t matter much in the scheme of eternity. 22 songs, 5 chapters, 2 CDs later and here it is – the sequel (in essence).
A sequel to 2016’s Similitude Of A Dream? But I knew there was always a strong possibility that this would happen.
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