The sequel to Purgatory; where do you go from there

Two ways to listen apart from a single listen:

2 Parts:
III. "Your Truth" - Tracks 1-7
IV. Actual @#$%!&* Reality - Tracks 8-15

3 Parts:
IV. Sequel - Tracks 1-5
V. Flashback - Tracks 6-10
VI. If You Know, You Know - Tracks 11-15

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I didn't like the ending to Purgatory. Well, I didn't like the fact that the story ended with a brutal fall. When I had finished that album I began experimenting with some ideas that were really just a cover up of my desire to continue exploring what came after Purgatory. The War Comes Home is the proper sequel and the culmination of those earlier ideas that never blossomed individually. There were a lot of things both real and imagined that were influencing me and somewhere at some point I decided a proper sequel made the most logical sense. Every project I undertake is something that takes me out of my comfort zone and everything I create is grounded in the hope that I leave the audience genuinely surprised at the movie they are watching. The most effective way to keep things unpredictable at that point was to focus on something I had not tried before: consistency.

The unexpected irony to the approach of channeling the familiar is that The War Comes Home became the most experimental thing I would make. I set out to reconcile the personal, the structural, and the fantasy knowing that if I was to do a follow up album that I would make damn sure there was a lot in there. This was not just going to be a sequel, but further stanzas in a poem. And this approach served as a needed contingency to make this aurally and intellectually stimulating for myself as I was becoming aware that I was trapped in the content for much longer than I would have preferred. I can say without a doubt that through making this I outgrew 2/3rds of the content 2 years ago.

The narrative started with a simple concept: “let's make a happy ending that follows after the trials and fall from Purgatory.” As you listen to the result, it's pretty apparent that this was impossible. The ending is appropriate. It is exactly what it should be. [REDACTED]
used all the tools I had at my disposal
[REDACTED]
everything comes full circle
[REDACTED]
Thanks George
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Swans did it first
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What comes AFTER this is more important. The War Comes Home identifies unearthed problems that go back decades. The solution only comes after you both acknowledge and are prepared to put in the work to solve them. That second prerequisite is more often than not ignored until it is too late. But you know, it always comes back to cui bono.

"I would never, ever, ever, attempt and fail to make a track that sounds like artists I like and still include it in the completed album.”

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