The Neal Morse Band have confirmed the release of their album The Grand Experiment on February 16 via InsideOut.
And a European tour with Beardfish as opening act includes a London date the following month.
For the first time ever, Morse – along with Mike Portnoy, Randy George, Eric Gillette and Bill Hubauer – began studio sessions without any material written in advance.
The bandleader says: “I wanted to see what it would be like to create freely in the room with no preconceived notions. It was quite a risk.
“I used to be paranoid about whether things would turn out in the short time we had available, so I’d fill all the spaces in advance. This time I made a lot of room for the guys to express themselves – and the result is outstanding.
“We wanted to experiment, do something a bit different and see what everyone was capable of. We found out in spades.”
The album includes five tracks – two “long prog epics” and three shorter pieces. More details will be announced in due course. Beardfish will tour in support of their eighth album +4626-COMFORTZONE, set for release on January 12.
Neal Morse Band and Beardfish tour dates
Mar 05: Prattein Z7, Switzerland
Mar 06: Zoetermeer De Boerderij, Netherlands
Mar 07: London Islington Assembly Hall, UK
Mar 08: Verviers Spirit Of 66, Belgium
Mar 09: Paris Divan du Monde, France
Mar 11: Aschaffenburg Colos-Saal, Germany
Mar 12: Mannheim Aire Seilerei, Germany
Mar 13: Hamburg Markethalle, Germany
Mar 14: Bochum Matrix, Germany
