So yeah, my brother told me that Bill said on FB the other day in a thread where people were trying to figure out the difference between solo Neal prog albums and NMB albums that the NMB will start work on their next album this spring. Given that it is spring already, here's hoping that he meant the current season!
I found said FB thread, and here's what Bill said:
NMB is scheduled to start our new band album this spring (pending the virus situation)
So it seems, from his words, that sometime in the next 3 months, the band were scheduled to get together and write, presumably sometime after Mike was supposed to be done with his SOA touring duties, and after Eric is done with whatever album he is making. I think Neal just got hit with some inspiration during his time being away, sick, and now stuck at home, and given that Mike and Randy aren't going anywhere either, he decided to enlist their help like in the One/?/Sola days.
What a busy time for Neal, then! New Flying Colors live album, hopefully by this summer, Transatlantic's fifth album by the fall, this new Neal Morse solo album by winter, then a new NMB album probably early next year! If there aren't going to be any tours this year, at least we will be spoiled for new releases! What a time to be a Neal Morse fan!
-Marc.