The Story of Light

This is the eighth studio album, released by Favored Nations Entertainment on 14 August 2012 as FN 2780-2, twelve tracks. It was his first studio record since Real Illusions: Reflections in 2005 and is the second instalment of the Real Illusions trilogy that album began. The booklet's introduction describes the trilogy as a multi-layered melange based on the amplified mental exaggerations of a truth-seeking madman who sees the world through his own distorted perceptions. Speaking to Classic Rock Revisited, Vai explained that he had not wanted to make a concept record in the conventional way: he wanted it to span a long period, so he broke it into small pieces and put them out other than in order. John the Revelator contains a sample of Blind Willie Johnson's recording of the same song. The Moon and I first appeared in 2010 as a VaiTunes digital-only single, but the song was personal enough that Vai remixed it and put it on the album. Mullach a' tSi is a composition by the Irish singer Padraigin Ni Uallachain, with whom Vai went on to record the title track of her own 2023 album. Pre-orders opened on his website on 23 May 2012 with an instant download of Gravity Storm, and the album entered the Billboard 200 at number 78. The tour that followed ran to 254 engagements in 52 countries and ended in September 2014. The running order here is the import CD's as printed.