SNOW

Having recently picked up Spock's Beard's V, I was more than curious and decided to locate some more of their material and delve further into their catalogue. Spock's Beard is a controversial band at best-they are a group you either love or hate. They had captured my interest and I decided to purchase Snow, SB's a considerably high-rated album from them and their last to feature Neal Morse as a member.

With any band, the idea of a multiple-disc concept album is always met with raised eyebrows, low expectations, and comparisons to a certain The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. Structurally I suppose Snow is similar. The story of an albino man with the power to see the future and his exploits (or at least that's what I've taken from it-it's not particularly nebulous) makes for an interesting basis for what is essentially a rock opera. Clocking in at about 1 hour and 45 minutes in length, I did my best to listen to this album all the way through, as I feel there is no other acceptable way to appraise a concept album such as this. This, like others similar to it, is an example of the trees looking better than the forest. Most songs are much better in context than on their own.

A concept album like Snow always runs the risk of overstaying its welcome. That being said, disc one and disc two are clearly separated with individual overtures for each-two distinct acts, if you will. There are fewer musical themes than you'd expect in such a lengthy musical endeavor but they are utilized well to give the album a roundabout cohesiveness without becoming too repetitive. There are some positively beautiful songs such as Made Alive, Love Beyond Words, and Wind at my Back, all of which are very memorable. There are also some great rockers, such as Long Time Suffering, Devil's Got My Throat, and All is Vanity. In between there is some interesting musical ground covered-the gospel like refrain of Open Wide the Flood Gates, for example. Much of the better material is on the first disc (as is common with 2-disc concept albums). By the end of the second disk things do get a bit laborious to listen to but there is music worth staying around for, especially keyboardist Ryo Okumoto's organ showcase. Honestly though I was a bit disappointed with the very end of the album, as the band resorted to a very clangorous, crash-cymbal-and-organ-glissando-filled smashfest, rather than something a little more technical. However, that's a bit of a matter of taste, and I definitely enjoyed the ride.

Snow is rife with memorable melodies and a lot of excellent music. While the premise might be a tad pretentious, Spock's Beard pull it off admirably. After all, they are not a band identified by virtuosic soloing and progressive rock pyrotechnics-they simply play good, interesting music that is neither inaccessible nor impenetrable. 4/5 stars.