OCTANE

Let's start by getting a couple of things off my chest: I have been writing and playing prog all my adult life, not just listenling to it. I'll also admit to being one of the guys who, after hearing the Beard in support of FE, was standing up (with the rest of the crowd, mind you) yelling "Neal WHO?" (Love ya, Neal, and love the solo efforts too, but this is about the Beard and Octane)

Is this an end-all-be-all prog masterpiece? No, but the Beard IS back and if they are saying anything, it's probably that they are going to be around for quite a while to come.

Octane is both more energetic than was FE and, yes, definately more pop rock than prog in places... To the purists hereabouts: SO WHAT? Ever hear of Big Generator or ABACAB?

There is some damn fine songwriting here and NDV's vocal chops are really starting to shine. Many of the old familiar elements are here, insturmentally and vocally, but there is an edge to the writing and playing that is interesting, and warrants time to develop. The guitar work is especially edgy, bordering on angry at times... fun...

I could dissect each track into time signatures, chord progressions, lyrical meanings, yadda, yadda, yadda, hep yadda... I'll leave that to folks with a lot more time on their hands.

Bottom line for the faint of heart: go buy it... give it a fair listen... then go back and run through the catalog, from The Light on out thru Snow and Feel Euphoria, then listen to it again. Even if it doesn't bowl you over on first listen, it'll have you fairly well hooked the second time thru, lather rinse, repeat.....