I know that you guys decided to continue with the story addressed in the previous album, “The Similitude of a Dream”. Was that decision taken after the first album was finished, or did you know beforehand that there would be a sequel?

Oh, the decision was definitely made after the first album was finished. When I started writing I didn’t even want to [make it a sequel]– I remember coming home from one of the legs of the Similitude tour and wanting to just get some rest, but you know, just feeling that kick inside to go into the studio and write a little bit. And I think even as early on as spring of 2017 or even earlier than that, like during the winter, I started to jot down some ideas about that indicated we’d be going to lead towards the sequel. But I wasn’t sure either. I didn’t really have the whole picture. I just had a couple pieces though. It took a long time for us to sort it all out.
— Read on www.sonicperspectives.com/interviews/interview-with-neal-morse/