WIN A SAMPLER OF THIS ALBUM! Guitar Rock (Atmospheric): Neal Morse's Testimony

I have 3 sampler copies of this CD to giveaway. See bottom of posting for list of winners.

It has become kind of trendy to bash progressive rock in current music magazines. While certainly the progressive rock of Yes, Genesis, the Eagles, and others, was excessive at times with its grand design to meld rock, opera, musicals, and compelling narratives, progressive rock has also shown the way to seeing rock music as able to contain more emotion, story, and orchestration than a 3-minute pop song.

Neal Morse, formerly of prog-rock bands Spock’s Beard and Transatlantic, released a solo album last fall titled Testimony. A 2-CD set (of which I’ve only heard selections) presents Morse’s conversion to Christianity and his struggles with his faith while in the music business. A significant story captured in blistering guitar from ex-Kansas gutiarist Kerry Livgren, potent drumming from Dream Theater’s Mike Portnoy, sweeping strings from the Nashville Symphony Orchestra, and a host of other musical contributors.

However, the album is almost all Morse. He wrote it, sang the leads, played guitar, bass, and keyboards. This is Morse’s story and his music, but the musical influences are apparent all over the place. That’s what I’m enjoying about these selections from Testimony. Morse lets you know that he is referencing music and lyrics of others. “Ready to Try” refers to a line from Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin’” (Morse: “She’s a good girls/Loves Jesus like the song says”).

Most notably, the song “California Nights” is a musically linked to the Eagles’ “Hotel California,” but Morse uses it to explore his own difficulties in the California music scene. (This may be an answer to so many Christians who have wanted to ban the Eagles’ song which has been accused of being Satanic for years. Could Morse be trying to redeem the song?)

While the album is clearly a Christian prog rock album, it has received fair reviews from outside the Christian music scene. See reviews in Milwaukee’s Shepherd Express and the Website Prog4you. And indeed, an expansive prog rock album gives a good chance to explore the challenges of faith and life. While some may object to this message, progressive rock albums have explored so many different subjects or stories. It is hard to then claim that a Christian artist shouldn’t explore his faith in that same way.

By the way, further thought about progressive rock has moved its place in The Spectrum. As part of the broader category called Guitar Rock (Atmospheric), I realized that the music is too controlled to be the bridge between Guitar Rock and Punk Rock. Therefore, Guitar Rock (Atmospheric) has moved ahead of Guitar Rock, and actually, Punk Rock moves to be after Garage Rock. (Punk is more than a garage can hold!).

The first 3 people to email me for this giveaway were Andrew Careage of Rolla, MO ( (bloggedyblog.blogspot.com), Paul a.k.a. SteelerDirtFreak of PA (justifiedbygrace.blogspot.com), and Pastor George from HavenRest Waccasassa Outreach Ministries in Trenton FL. They will each receive a copy of this CD. Thanks to Neal Morse and Michelle & Kelli at Metal Blade Records.