SOLA GRATIA

Neal Morse has done it again. Another concept album. This time produced under trying circumstances. Unable to get together with his musical associates to write and record, he wrote the whole thing himself and sent the files to Mike Portnoy and Randy George to add drums and bass. Neal Morse Band members Eric Gillette and Bill Hubauer also contribute some parts but don't sing, so this album is billed as a Neal Morse solo album rather than a Neal Morse Band one.

Despite these limitations, Sola Gratia is a really good album. Based on the story of Saul of Tarsus, the narrative covers the events leading up to his conversion on the road to Damascus. There are nods back to one of Neal's previous albums Sola Scriptura, right from the start in fact, where, following a nice acoustic guitar intro, the opening lyrics are taken from the closing lyrics of the former album. After this preface there is the obligatory overture (one of his better ones too), then the story begins. Saul is a religious zealot, believing that this new religion that has arisen must be stamped out, and there are echoes of 'In the name of God you must die, all that's not our truth is a lie' in the song In The Name Of The Lord. The music goes seamlessly from metal to synth-driven prog to ballads. There is even an electronica section with programmed keyboards in Seemingly Sincere. Portnoy excels on drums in this song, both with restrained drumming early on and his more familiar style during the extended instrumental section. I must also mention the guitar solo in The Glory Of The Lord, I suspect it's Eric Gillette. It's spine-tingling.

I would put Sola Gratia in my top 5 of Neal Morse albums, alongside Question Mark, Sola Scriptura, Jesus Christ The Exorcist, and Similitude.