TRANSATLANTIC posted recently Mike Portnoy discussing an overview of their upcoming release.
The Prog Supergroup of Neal Morse, Mike Portnoy, Roine Stolt & Pete Trewavas are pleased to announce their fifth studio album ‘The Absolute Universe’, set for release on February 5th, 2021. Representing the band’s first new music since 2014’s ‘Kaleidoscope’, with ‘The Absolute Universe’ the band have done something unique and created two versions of the record: ‘The Absolute Universe: The Breath Of Life (Abridged Version)’ & ‘The Absolute Universe: Forevermore (Extended Version)’.
As Mike Portnoy explains: “We’ve got two versions of this album. There is a two CD presentation, which is 90 minutes long, and a single one – that’s 60 minutes. However, the single CD is NOT merely an edited version of the double CD. They each contain alternate versions and even in some cases, new recordings. We wrote fresh lyrics and have different people singing on the single CD version tracks as compared to those on the double CD. Some of the song titles have also been changed, while others might remain the same, but compositionally what you’ll hear has been altered. You must appreciate that what we have done is unique. We revamped the songs to make the two versions different.”
Each album will be available on CD, LP & Digitally. But there will also be what has been called ‘The Absolute Universe: The Ultimate Edition’, which collects both versions together in one lavish package that includes 5LP’s, 3CD’s & a Blu-ray that contains a 5.1 surround sound mix with visuals & a behind the scenes documentary. All editions have unique artwork created by Thomas Ewerhard.
The full list of formats is below, and pre-orders start on the 20th November:
‘The Absolute Universe: The Breath Of Life (Abridged Version)’
Special Edition CD Digipak, Gatefold 2LP+CD, Digital Album
‘The Absolute Universe: Forevermore (Extended Version)’
Special Edition 2CD Digipak, 3LP+2CD Boxset, Digital Album
‘The Absolute Universe: The Ultimate Edition’
Limited Deluxe Clear 5LP+3CD+Blu-Ray Boxset
Visit TRANSATLANTIC for more information: HERE
Visit Mike Portnoy: HERE
