SPOCK'S BEARD

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Three weeks after getting it, I finally can sit down and share my comments about the new release by one of my favorite bands, Spock's Beard. I thought I had to give the album time and space to grow on me (or not) before being able to actually give my opinion about the music in it. So, I've given SB's latest time, I've given it space, and now I've come to a few conclusions of my own, the most important being:

It needs a trim-job.

First, the overall sound. If Feel Euphoria felt like a weak attempt by the remaining band members to adjust to the departure of original- frontman and mastermind Neal Morse,without achieving much success in doing so, then Octane was more of a relief for us The Beard's fans: the band could still make good music, the band could manage to overcome the weight of Morse's shadow by creating a sound of their own. I don't know if many people agree, but for me Octane was a very, very good release, and actually third in my SB's ranking just behind The Light and Snow. Octane had some flaws, but unlike Feel Euphoria, those flaws were more of a still-not-sure-how-to-do-it kind of way (still don't knowing how to write a flowing, totally connected epic) than a still-trying-to-sound-as-if- Morse-hadn't-left-the-band ones. Feel Euphoria had its moments but in the big picture, it was a failure; Octane, on the other hand, was a success, for D'Virgilio finally showed us he could sing like D'Virgilio, not like Neal, and the band showed us they could write great non- Morse-sounding music. So, after considering this, how does "Spock's Beard " come out? Well, let's say it from the beginning, Morse is all but forgotten in this group's music. Yes, finally, and after some trial-and-error, the band has shaken itself free of Morse's shadow and the sound of their music is virtually Morse-free. This music is pure Spock's Beard (the new version, that is), still with some references to bands like Kansas and others, but not to the sound that Neal created. That is almost gone. With maybe the exception being the first song (a great song by the way). So, prepare yourself for some pure american-style prog- rock like only The Beard can deliver. Prepare yourself to listen to an album with almost no Morse references. But also,...

... prepare yourself to endure some of the band's WORST songs of all time.

Yes, sadly, this album is TOO LONG. It seems like A.Morse, D'Virgilio, Meros and Okumoto decided to record as many songs as possible, with no regards as to the QUALITY of some of them. So, alongside the great tracks, we have not only a couple of fillers, but a couple of DISASTERS. Let me say a word about each track:

On A Perfect Day (10/10), outstanding track! This one, as I've already said, is the only Morse-era-sounding song, and very good at that, because it's not pure-Morse: it is like a mix of the best of the first era with the best of Nick's era. But some parts could easily be mistaken as being taken straiight out of Kindness of Strangers or Beware of Darkness, were it not for D'Virgilio's throat-rasping voice to reminds us this is the NEW Beard. A short mini-epic, great melodies, great singing by Nick (I have to say he's very good at times in the mic, at times he's flawed... but as a drummer he's underrated: he's a MASTER). It has all the ambiguity, the happy-yet-not-that-much aura typical of Morse-era songs... lots of acoustic guitars, piano... Wonderful song, great epic-sounding chorus. . I should give it a ten. Yes, ten it is!

Skeletons At The Feast (9/10), An instrumental mostly in odd time signatures. A riff in full hard-rockin' (almost metallic) sound starts this song in a blast! Actually, it seems as if The Bearders have been listening to Dream Theater as of late, for there are elements there to be recognized as coming from the New York Greats' textbook. After the anger, the riff continues with some soloing before changing to regular 4/4 with some keyboards that sound like The Flower Kings. The track alternates between hard and soft, with ELP's references along the way, too. This, above all the other numbers in the album, shows us how fantastic these 4 musicians are.

Is This Love (7/10), the first sub-par song although this one is not bad, just not very good. A straight rocker, the prog elements are almost missing here. It's just good ol' rock n'roll played by one of the best bands around. The chorus is catchy and the song in general is better than what most people would think if I just toldl them that it sounds a lot like a mix between U2 and some American band a la Skynard.

All That's Left (9/10) a melancholic, moody song with great jazzy, soft drumming by underrated master D'Virgilio; the chorus, very melodic, reminds me of Kino's Picture album. Very good short and quiet song. The piano sound is prominent here. And, again, Nick's singing passes the test.

With Your Kiss (10/10), the longest single-track-song in the album, it starts with dreamy landscapes with the vocals over guitar arpeggios. Suddenly some electronic drumming puts us off with surprise... but we soon get used to it because the melody over it is GREAT. This section reminds me of Mullmuzzler (LaBrie's solo project). Later on the acoustic drums will return, but the overall atmosphere of this great song remains. The middle section with distorsions and D'Virgilio speaking rather than singing is not a high point but it barely makes a dent in the song's quality. Now D'Virgilio plays a pure tom-tom-driven rhythm, with some vocal accents that add to the festive ambient. Suddenly the noise recedes and, over acoustic guitars, Nick delivers some of his best singing in the album. Another brilliant song that makes us believe this is going to be THE album... but,

Sometimes They Stay, Sometimes They Go (3/10), but they had to include this! Man, this is the most UNINSPIRED AND BORING song in all of The Beard's discography... the dull rhythm makes me want to go watch a lightbulb's entire life cycle instead. And the lyrics: AWFUL AT ITS MOST AWFUL. Just the worst lyrics this side of... well, this side of my cat trying to write a poem about catching mouses with no claws... I just can't believe how they could have "created" this... Atrocious. The Slow Crash Landing Man (5/10), as if the preceding song wasn't boring enough, this track is so SLOW and DRAGGING that conciousness starts to abandon us. The melody in the chorus is somewhat decent, but it's so mundane, so run-of-the-mill, so I-could-have- written-it that it really doesn't make this track worthy of attention. What is happening? After such a great start, the album is falling, crashing down to pieces! Will the next song save this album from utterly collapsing?

Wherever You Stand (5/10), No, it didn't. Another any-joe's-band track, this pure rocknroll number is like a copy straight out of Octane but without the good melodies and hooks. What a bland, lame song. It's better than "Sometimes they go" because at least it has some energy, but don't keep your hopes high for this one. It ultimately fails, too.

Hereafter (7/10), it turns out that some silence was the key! Well, not really. But here, with just D'Virgilio singing over piano, we finally get back, if not to greatness-territory, at least to good-territory. Very inspired performance by the master drummer... his singing by itself makes this track a welcome addition... The only problem is, after such awful tracks as the last three, this one, a SLOW track, doesn't manage to wake us up completely. Yes, the damage is done...

As Far As The Mind Can See, (8/10), I will rate this as an epic and not as four different tracks. It starts very energetically, in what feels like a caffeine relief after the insomnia- medicine we ingested a few moments ago. The melody in the first chorus is decent, and finally we start to open our eyes again. The second section is more urban-jazz oriented, a great bass funky bass by Meros (another underrated master), with great guitars by yet another underrated performer as A. Morse, great keyboard accents by Okumoto, and precise-as-always drumming by artisan D'Virgilio. Very, very good section, this one reeks of "progness". The third one is more hard thumping than the other three, with some metal wind instruments making us remember the Morse-era. At last we get another good chorus by The Beard a la Octane. The final part is faster, blazing keyboards very much like The Flower Kings. Some fanfares by the winds take us back to the melodies of the beginning, and we finsih the song in pure climatic fashion. Now, the song is very good. But there are two problems: one, we're still half-awake, half-sleep after the three tragedies we experienced just some 20 minutes ago... and, two: it lacks cohesion as an EPIC. It's not a good EPIC. Like A Flash before my Eyes in octane, but specially like A Guy named Sid in Feel Euphoria, this one feels more like a collection of good songs than a true, single- content epic. I, for one, loved A Flash Before My Eyes, mostly due to some beautiful melodies to be found in it, but never regard it as a true smooth-flowing epic like The Light or At the End of the Day... Let's face it: in this department, Neal Morse was (is) a master; D'Virgilio and Co. still aren't.

Rearranged (6:07), this one is decent but it seems like an afterthought. There was no point to include any song after the "epic". But no, The Bearders HAD to keep on recording tracks. Actually, let's be fair: this is a very good song, with a great main verse, lots of kinetic energy, a competent chorus, and that's it. The album FINALLY is over.

Why the "finally"?, you may ask. Don't you like long albums? Well, yes, I do. I love long albums. Someone that owns all The Flower Kings' albums HAS to learn to love LONG records. But then again, sadly, this one is NOT a TFK's album, nor it reaches the same level of quality. Roine Stolt is Roine Stolt: he's just crazy with what I call "elephantism", that is, making the longest possible albums, but he's a genius at that! I've never dozed while listening to a TFK album... with SB, I started to venture into Freud's Territory more than a couple of times. The biggest drawback is, there aren't just a couple of fillers: what we have is a couple (three, actually) of ATROCITIES. For 15 minutes that actually feel like 60 we are subjected to the worst EVER SB's songs. 15 minutes of boredom, of mediocrity... and what for? For the sake of... what? For the sake of being "prog" by ading as many tracks as the cd format's capacity allows for? Bad, bad decision.

What was starting to sound like a masterpiece, ended up being a very good album, an excellent addtion to your collection, that sadly requires the listener to drink lots of caffeine before listening to it, lest the latter half of the cd gets lost in oblivion.

I'll give it four stars just because the good tracks are GOOD. And just because this is The Beard. And just because I think your collection will benefit rather than suffer when you add this album to it.

Recommended for: All fans of Spock's Beard. All fans of good prog that don't mind having to listen to a few awful tracks.

Not recommended for: People with their stereo's remotes broken.... You will damn and curse yourself till the end of time for not being able to press SKIP when marvelous "Sometimes they go" starts hurting your ears....

Spock's beard is moved on without their leader Neal Morse. Finally they sound confident among themselves, developing a more mature sound without many of the characteristics of early Spock's Beard. The music sounds much more serious than before, with the musicians being able to show better musicianship and style here, instead of some questionable sounds of guitars and synths that plagued the great songwriting in the Morse-era. Speaking of Morse, I think the drummer has a better singing voice. This album is not without its flaws though. There are quite several tracks that I find dull and uninteresting, and the "epic" is not really an epic, just four songs that don't have much in common.

The opening track On A Perfect Day is in my opinion better than any song before this album and after V . A flawlessly executed song that features a mighty opening riff (heard throughout the song), extremely memorable melodies, a great acoustic break, and most importantly, confidence and unity within the band.

Skeletons At The Feast is the prog of the album. A shapeshifting instrumental piece with odd-time signatures. It has the guitar technicality and heaviness of Dream theater, then unexpectedly, the song offers a synth melody that sounds like if Tomas Bodin (The Flower Kings) guest-starred as it sounds like the exact same instrument. The second half is slower and more chaotic. While technically superb, I think the ending is too long and overproduced.

All That's Left is an effective ballad with vocal harmonies that recall Dream Theater. Pretty nice.

With Your Kiss is probably the highlight of the disc. Virgillio's singing is at his best here, and the vocal melodies are wonderful throughout the whole song. The first half of the song is mostly laid-back and simple, putting Virgillio in the spotlight. After a few minutes, an upbeat guitar solo kicks in and the mood of the song completely turns upside down. "Just when I thought I knew everything, just when I thought I had it all going on", the music is driven by sound effects and a slow guitar riff until it turns into a hard rock section with electric guitars, pounding drums, and male choral screams. The next and last section is the best. Just D'Vigillio with an acoustic guitar singing softly at his best with magical melodies. The line "Don't change a THIIIIIING for meeee" is sung with such emotion and power that it sends shivers down my spine, and what makes it better is that the mellotron kicks in at that point and later a very inspired guitar solo.

As Far As The Mind Can See is an epic divided in four parts. The first being a rock tune with a wonderful theme played by bass at the end. The second being a fast-paced song with excellent bass playing and an organ solo at the end. the third being a n uninspired pop tune, and the fourth having some melodies from the first part and ending on a high note with the guitar playing the theme that was initially played on the bass, yet explored deeper. This ending is very climatic and well-done.

I have a problem with the rest of the tracks though. Is This Love is a terrible hard rock piece that makes "Surfing Down the Avalanche" from their previous album seem like a great song. Sometimes They Stay Sometimes They Go is really pedestrian, uninteresting, and irritating. The Slow Crashing Man has good arrangements and nice chorus melody, but is a bit dull. Wherever You Stand is a rocker that while it is superior to "Is This love", it's still mediocre. Hereafter has pretty piano playing and great vocal performance, but it is way longer than a simple piano tune should be, losing my attention. Rearranged is much better than these songs, but I think it is anti-climatic after the last part of the epic. I love the use of electric organs in the beginning though and the singing is excellent.

Overall, I find this album longer than it should be, with the Beards depleting their material, recording uninteresting songs throughout the album, making the great songs standout, especially when sandwitched by uninteresting tunes. Despite the "filler", I find this album to be the best effort up to date since their "V" album, with outstanding tunes like the opener and With Your Kiss.

Highlights: With Your Kiss, Skeletons At the Feast, On a Perfect Day

Let Downs: Is This Love, Sometimes they Stay Sometimes They Go, They Know We Know, Wherever You Stand

The Beard keep getting better. This is their third studio album since the Neal Morse's leave, and in my opinoin, it is their best of this era. However, it is by no means a trip back to their roots. Spock's Beard contains a lot of new ideas (although it does throw it back to the "classic" era for the opening two songs). Personally that what really makes this album such a hit, the new ideas. The jazziness of part two of the suite, the laid back grooveness of All Thats Left, the flow of the closer (with an awesome keys job). All their new ideas really shine on this record. Sadly, there is alot more then just new ideas.

I'll start with the good: "On A Perfect Day" and "Skeletons At The Feast", pure prog in action. These two songs really take you back to the N. Morse days, but still keeps things sounding fresh and modern. Also, With Your Kiss is another excellent progressive song, however very little of it harkens to their past. (And thats another new, fresh idea). All three of these songs weave back and worth through wonderous soundscapes and really make you think that the Beard have still got it. "As Far As The Mind Can See" (this albums "Epic") is certainly the best one yet. Even though its not entirely progressive, nor entirely coherent as an epic, its still shines through as a high spot on this album (especially parts two and four).

Unfortuantly, IMO, the Beard also try their hand at a few hard rock and ballad like songs once again. Most of them do not work. Is This Love, is certainly a low point for this band. The "Middle Four" ("Sometimes They Stay, Sometimes They Go", "The Slow Crash Landing Man", "Whereever You Stand", "Hereafter") contain a few snipnets of interestingness, but for the most part fall flat. (As a side note: The first few times I listened to this I didn't like most of the lyrics nor Nick's vocals. However, over the course of time they have grown on me, and while certainly not the best are pretty good overall).

All in all, this is a decent release. Tracks like "Skeleton's At The Feast", "Rearragned", and "With Your Kiss" could be considered SB classics. Although I expected more out of this album (it was hyped well), I was not disappointed with repeated listenings. (If Octane was a giant leap from FE, Spock's Beard is only a small hop in front of Octane...but that small hop still covered alot of ground). Fans of post-Neal should find plenty to like about this album, and even old Neal- era diehards should be able to latch on the opening two tracks. Their potential continues to rise. 3.5 stars.

This album by Spock's Beard represents the band's ninth studio album and the third studio album after the departure of frontman and composer Neil Morse - approximately four years ago. Despite three studio albums, the band also released a phenomenal live double CD album "Gluttons For Punishment" which represented Octane Tour. The first studio album after Neal left the band, "Feel Euphoria", indicated how strong the existence of Neal in the band because this album was not as strong as albums where Neal was still around. But I was really happy when the band released the eighth album "Octane" in which the band repositioned their musical maturity in their own destiny leaving away the shadows of Neal's existence. In fact I'd rather like "Octane" than previous albums of Spock's Beard when Neal was around. With "Octane" the band pursued two poles of music styles: one with symphonic-textured music with song like "The Beauty of It All" (my best favorite track from any Spock's Beard album) and the other pole with hard rock music. But overall "Octane" has satisfied me even though there are some tracks that I do not favor - that's okay.

Having experienced with "Octane" and wonderful live album "Gluttons" my further expectation of their upcoming album revolves around music with symphonic nuance. So I did pre-order this album and hoping that my expectation would be fulfilled. And . this is the way I view this album .

On A Perfect Day (7:47) represents exactly what I have expected the kind of music Spock's Beard should create and play. It resembles old sound of the band in its early years but this time there is much symphonic texture that has been infused by the band to this track through the excellent keyboard work by Ryo. The intro part represents great music where the combination drums, bass guitar and organ bring forward the music in melodic way - inserted with guitar work. The keyboard solo right before the musical break is really melodic and memorable followed with guitar fills that remind me to the music of Genesis. Nick low register notes voice enters the music beautifully backed with excellent music that accompanies. This song has a strong melody and tight composition. No one would ever argue that this is a perfectly composed music. This song has many breaks with various instruments used: from guitar fills (acoustic and electric), keyboard, and drum work. I especially like the break that occurs at approx minute 5:25 where after excellent acoustic guitar solo, keyboard gives its solo wonderfully. It's a full five stars rating for this song!

Skeletons At The Feast (6:33) is the band's exploration on lyric-less composition with dynamic and uplifting styles. It kicks off with Ryo's great organ solo in ambient style followed with Nick's drumming which enters in crescendo the song moves into upbeat tempo energetically. The keyboard provides its solo followed with Alan's guitar solo and supported by Dave Meros tight basslines. Oh, what a great instrumental track this one is! I can see the combination of old-style organ work with modern sounds produced by other instruments. In away this song reminds me to Genesis' "Duke's Travel" even though it has totally different style. Oh my God . I love the part with pondering music riffs which starts at approx minute 3:30. I believe the riffs are mainly provided by Meros tight basslines, strengthened by Ryo's organ. Again, I choose to give this flawless track with a full five stars rating.

Is This Love (2:51)was the turning point for me for not continuing the CD spinning further because it's to me a straight rock'n'roll track with no prog elements at all in its composition. For me, this track is like the one played by 60's / 70s group called CCR and I have never expected this kind of song is created and performed by Spock's Beard. One star rating is appropriate for this one.

All That's Left (4:45) has a style that is very similar with the song by Toto, I believe. Many people would love this song because it's quite accessible. But it's not the case for me even though this song is actually a nice one. Two stars rating would be appropriate for this track.

With Your Kiss (11:46) - the opening part of this song almost falls into a category of Toto music. Luckily the band crafts this song with guitar fills at the back so that it sounds like old style Genesis music. It's a slow moving music which by minute 4 it takes off into more energetic form with stunning guitar solo. Otherwise it's so boring in its first four minutes. The music interlude using guitar and keyboard is really good. Entering the minute 6 the music almost changes significantly with the entrance of low register notes vocal. It turns into a style with percussion as main rhythm section and distance vocal style. Quite honest, this part is really excellent. It's not what I expect that Spock's Beard would play but it's really nice. The ending part of this track is melodic and memorable. The guitar solo is stunning - backed with symphonic keyboard work. Four stars rating for this track!

Sometimes They Stay, Sometimes They Go (4:31) is a blues-based music with nice guitar solo at opening. Musically, this is the kind of stuff that I like but it's not something that I expect Spock's Beard would have ever created and played. It's not bad track at all but it's quite strange and funny for me having the band performs this blues-rock tune. It should be a band lie Trapeze, or Glenn Hughes or any other classic rock bands who suit playing this stuff. Don't get me wrong, I like this track - especially the guitar solo that reminds me to classic rock tunes in the 70s. Three stars rating for this track.

The Slow Crash Landing Man (5:47) is completely a pop song in the vein of Toto with practically straight-forward structure, no prog element at all. It's an easy listening tune with soaring keyboard sound at the back which gives ambient nature. This is the kind of track that many can digest quickly. Those who love prog might be disappointed with this track. It's just a good track, nothing special about it, and three stars rating is appropriate.

Wherever You Stand (5:09) brings the music with more upbeat tempo. The style of music reminds me to Deep Purple's "Come Taste The Band" album. Yes, it's basically a straight-forward rock song with good vocal quality. Alan provides his excellent guitar work accompanied with Ryo's keyboards and dynamic singing style of Nick.

Hereafter (5:01) is a piano-based composition performed in mellow style demonstrating nick's excellent vocal job. Classical music influences the songwriting of this track as it can be identified easily on the piano work. Nick handles low register notes as well as the high ones perfectly. It's an excellent song that deserves four stars rating.

As Far As The Mind Can See is an epic which comprises four short tracks. The first part "Dreaming In The Age Of Answers" (4:49) is basically a pop song which serves as introduction to the epic. I can see here how Meros plays his bass guitar in a bit of jazzy mood. It is then becoming firmed that at the opening of Part 2: "Here's A Man" (3:28) he provides a completely jazz-rock bass guitar work, combined wonderfully with drums and inventive organ / keyboard work by Ryo. Well I do like part 2 very much - it's so dynamic and it reminds me to Canterbury music or the music that The Tangent has made so far. Ryo organ solo is truly stunning - backed with Meros tight bass lines. Oh yeah, the two gentlemen play their own instrument excellently during music interlude. Part 3: "They Know We Know" (3:18) is kicked with the drum work, followed with duo vocal lines, based on piano. The ending part, Part 4: "Stream Of Unconsciousness" (5:23) moves the music in faster tempo with pulsating keyboard solo. It then turns down slowly into a symphonic-based music with soaring keyboard sounds. It's quite dynamic in nature. Overall, this epic is excellent and it deserves four stars rating.

Rearranged (6:07) has a simple structured intro basing its composition on keyboard and drum beats and nice melody line through vocal. The music moves in crescendo with all instruments play together in relatively upbeat tempo. The ending part is very interesting where the combined work of keyboard, guitar, bass and drum accompany the vocal in relatively fast tempo.

Conclusion

I know that there are masterpiece tunes coming out from this album but the other tracks do not seem to measure up with the masterpiece standard. Some tracks are excellent and some are just good and one track has only one star. It's quite difficult to aggregate the rating but I'm sure that this album is in between three to four stars rating. For me personally, this album deserves 3.5 stars rating overall. Spock's Beard is willing to provide music with wider spectrum through this latest album. Keep on proggin' ..!

Progressively yours, GW

"Never confuse movement with progress."

I must say, before you judge new Spock's Beard, you have to say to yourself, this is not the old-fashioned Spock's Beard with Neal Morse's catchy pop-proggy hooks and the lack of his traditional sound (Heard with everything Neal has been associated with). Just admit to yourself that you can only picture Spock's Beard with Neal Morse playing keyboards and singing. But this is not the Neal Morse Spock's Beard anymore, it does not have Neal Morse's familiar voice or his often lopsided lyrics on them, but we still have 4 very talented musicians + Boeghold (the 5th beardle). With all their talent, we have here the first self- titled Spock's Beard album. I see this self-titled album as a start, a start in their new sound. I found myself not comparing this album to the Spock's Beard of the old or one of my favorite Progressive musicians, Neal Morse, but with what the new lineup has put out. I think what they have put out this time, is special compared to the last two releases.

1. They have got rid of trying to sound like the old Spock's Beard and adopted a newer sound that was somewhat heard on Octane and non-existent on Feel Euphoria. I applaud the lads for doing so, their new sound is great and I love it.

2. They have gotten Boeghold for the orchestrations, which is greatly appreciated by me. His orchestrations on the last Spock's Beard album, Octane, which was not so great at all, but in fact very mediocre.

3. The new Spock's Beard is not very Prog at all.

Why did I mention the last number, with Spock's Beard not being Prog? Other than the first song and parts of the other songs, this is not a typical Prog Rock release. Is This Live is included, which is an almost 3 minute purely Hard Rock piece. I do not appreciate it at all , but I can appreciate how Spock's Beard have changed. The epic does not sound Neal Morse-era at all, but instead introduces us to a new era, a new era where Spock's Beard sounds great without the Neal controlling the songwriting.

Overall, I find this album to be very satisfactory, in fact I find it an excellent addition not to just a prog music collection, but to every music fan's collection.

3.8 stars

This self-titled release by Spock's Beard was among my first purchases of modern music in a very long time, and I truly did not know what to expect as this 9th studio album was the first SB album I had the chance to listen to.

The album starts out in a fine fashion with "On A Perfect Day". The opening to this song reminds me of a good 70's synth intro, as Ryo is a very capable keyboardist. Then the lyrics come in, and although Nick's voice is short of spectacular, he seems to bring some life into a seemingly depressing song. "Skeletons At The Feast" is an excellent instrumental, filled to the brim with excellent progressive elements such as more keyboard art by Ryo and a magnificent bass line from Dave Meros that reminds me of an early Chris Squire. "Is This Love?" is not a bad song by all means, but it fits terribly within the confines of this album. This album being progressive cannot have a 3 minute hard rock song fueled by intense guitars and drumming. It just does not mix well. "All That's Left" is a nice reminder of the progressive elements on the album, although I must say that this is one of the most depressing things I have listened to. This would fit fine on Porcupine Tree's "The Sky Moves Sideways". Do not listen to this song if your relationship just ended!! "With Your Kiss" is the first of two epics on this album, although the second one is broken into parts while this stays as a whole. Another depressing tune for the first 4 or so minutes, it really picks up into a nice rocker at around 5 minutes with some good riffs and tight drumming. "Sometimes They Stay, Sometimes They Go" starts out with an excellent guitar intro, but the is quickly ruined by some of the worst vocals I have ever heard. More great guitar, but the vocals overwhelm any of the musical advantages. "The Slow Crash Landing Man" is just the polar opposite of the previous song, as it features some excellent vocals with very little substance backing it up for the duration of the song. "Wherever You Stand" is another hard song that does not belong on this album. It completely breaks up the flow and feel of the album. "Hereafter" is a very slow song, and it is one of the most boring 5 minutes I have experienced. I listened to it once and then never again.

I need a second paragraph to explain the second epic, as it was an amazing piece of music. This epic definitely lifted the rating of the album. "As Far As The Mind Can See" is the name of the entire epic, but it is broken down into 4 differently titled parts. "Part 1 - Dreaming In The Age Of Answers" is absolutely mind-blowing compared to the previous work presented on the album. The lyrics actually make sense, and every instrument is in sync with everything else. For the first time on the album, Nick's vocals are crystal- clear. "Part 2 - Here's A Man" starts off with some nice percussion and an excellent bass line, but then Ryo quickly takes over with some fast keyboard work. The vocals are very disappointing compared to those on the previous part, and they bring the quality of this whole section down. "Part 3 - They Know We Know" is the most accessible part of the whole epic, and it features some nice musical passages as well as the return of Nick's good singing voice, which occasionally lapses. "Part 4 - Stream Of Unconsciousness" is worth a star in itself. A flurry of instruments open up this final part and then Ryo's keyboards quickly fill the speakers as the song takes off. The song is amazing from beginning to end, especially when you find that Nick's vocals don't disappoint here, either. "Rearranged" is the last song on the track, and it reminds me of "Hereafter" in the intense lack of substance presented in the work. Well, at least in the beginning. The song really does pick up at around 2 minutes, but then it starts to sound like "Is This Love?" and ruins the impact of the progressive epic that came before it.

So, as you may have picked up from my review, I wasn't exactly ranting and raving over this album. Nick's vocals were very inconsistent, and the compositions of the minor songs got lazy at points. However, I feel that it was exceptional in some spots and contained a very progressive feel to it in some spots. Both epics were amazing pieces of works, especially considering the lack of brilliant music released in 2006. "Is This Love?" and "Hereafter" take this average album down to 2 stars, but the incredible "As Far As The Mind Can See" lifts it back up to 3.

3 Stars! Some excellent music on here!

When Neal Morse left Spock's Beard I didn't have high hopes for the survival of the band. Not only was he lead Vocalist, but he also contributed Keyboards, Accoustic Guitar and was also the chief songwriter. Fortunately Drummer Nick D'virgillio was able to do a Phil Collins and step out from behind the kit to take on Vocal duties and an excellent singer he is too. Of course Morse's Keyboard and Guitar duties were easily taken care of by Ryo Okumoto and Alan Morse but what of the songwriting? Their first two post Morse albums had some very good moments but on this, their eponymous third release the Beard have really hit their stride with a superb album of modern Symphonic Prog of the highest order. In fact a fair amount of the material here is as good as much of what they did in the Morse era.

The first two tracks are absolute killers with great playing and very strong vocal melodies in the case of On a Perfect Day, second track Skeletons at the Feast being an instrumental. With your Kiss is a bit of a mini epic at 11 minutes and another album highlight and again strong on melody and a great trademark Alan Morse Guitar solo before going into a tribal drumming mid section and the more laid back coda.

I keep mentioning the strong melodies on here, that's because they're so abundant but perhaps the strongest of all is on The Slow Crash Landing Man which is totally sublime. Alan Morse really shines again with an excellent solo showing that fewer well chosen notes is often more. The guy is just brilliant!

Of course all the band are superb musicians and I'm also a big fan of Dave Meros' Bass playing which has just the right balance between top and bottom end and really cuts through the mix the way Geddy Lee or Chris Squire does. The band is able to show their chops to good effect on the almost obligatory epic As Far as the Mind Can See which is around 16 minutes long and divided into four parts and is another album highlight.

There isn't really any really bad tracks on the album and I was almost tempted to give it 5 stars but I restrained by the inclusion of a couple of fillers, Is This Love being a prime example. Overall though a very strong 4.

Spock's Beard's ninth album can be summed up in one word: uninspired. Not only could they not think of a proper title for the album, but it's just like the last two Morse-less albums, except this one is even longer. And what bothers me the most about it is that they put the two best songs the band has made since Morse left in the very beginning of the album. After experiencing something positive and building up my expectations during the first 14 minutes of this CD, I'm left with utter disappointment.

Really, the first two tracks are prime Spock's Beard. The rest of the album tailspins into an endless series of AOR tracks lacking inspiration and bordering on being totally monotonous. Remember the comparisons with a post-Gabriel Genesis? Well, Spock's Beard's parallel has already reached the 1983-1986 Genesis period. You get maybe 2-3 prog rock tracks (sometimes good, sometimes not), and the rest is radio friendly fodder any rock band could come up with (ballads and heavier stuff). What a waste of talent. You would think that after three albums of this, they'd realize that this isn't going to get them onto MTV or VH1 and at worst, alienate a large following of die-hard fans (admittedly only in the thousands, by that's big for a prog rock act nowadays).

Octane had some potential, but this self-titled album seems like a regression back to Feel Euphoria. The band may have matured, but is clearly lost on the wrong road. Two stars, for collectors and die-hard fans only. Very disappointing.

A big let down for me, due mostly I think to the fact that the new Beard sounds much, much too similar to the old. The old bombast is back, except it simply isn't exciting anymore.

The first half of this (for some reason) self-titled album stand out as being passable, with the slinky All That's Left and genuinely beautiful/creative With Your Kiss standing out as some of this era's best work; however, the once the horribly plodding Slow Crash Landing Man starts up things go down hill. The extended piece is mired in a repetitive sameness which hardly gets off the ground, and the few fleeting moments of creativity sprinkled throughout the other songs simply aren't enough to salvage the album.

Disappointing-- give us back the new Beard!

Songwriting: 2 Instrumental Performances: 2 Lyrics/Vocals: 2 Style/Emotion/Replay: 2

Not as bad as people make it out to be. Not the worst Spock album (*coughs* Octane *coughs*), but certainly not the best either. The album kicks off in usual Spock style with On A Perfect Day. I really like the delicate acoustic guitar part in this song, and also the build up from there. It then continues with Skeletons At The Feast, which is up and down. It's only really worth listening to for the ending chromatic riff. Is This Love? is abismal rubbish, I cannot stand it, and neither should you! The following five aren't really memorable enough to deserve a mention, there just ain't really much to them, apart from the progressive vein in With Your Kiss. The suite from tracks 10-14 is excellent, but has nothing on previous epics like At The End Of The Day or Harm's Way, so don't be expecting much! The album finishes with a brilliant keyboard song, Rearranged. This is the only song I'm not bored of yet, and probably the best on the album.

Overall an inconsistant album, and I can see why people hate it, but I don't mind it. It brings hope for the future, and hopefully the next album will improve on the downspiral they've been going through without Neal. The highlights are definitely On A Perfect Day, As Far As The Mind and Rearranged, although even they're not exectly prog gems. 2stars, collectors/fans only.

Oh yes, have they ever been rearranged!

Spock's Beard's third offering without (Neal) Morse at the helm is one that has always been received with controversy (and it's not even that old yet!). With the band finally taking control over where they want to go and taking the music in a decidedly NON-Morse direction the band is almost using this self-titled release as a way to reinvent themselves. Where their first output in this incarnation, Feel Euphoria, leaning heavily towards the AOR feel of things and their concept album Octane saw them leaning towards the melancholic and slow Spock's Beard sees the band taking things in a full rock direction, so say goodbye to the AOR feel in most any beard release. Still defined by lush keyboards and an almost Satriani feel with Alan Morse's guitar the band has made things heavier with drummer turned singer (a la Genesis) Nick D'Virgillio proving that he can belt out the heavy parts even better than Morse was able to do (probably thanks to the more aggressive vocal parts on Octane). All around this album shows the band re-ignited with a passion and looking to rock some homes.

While mentioned before that the band has finally made their way out of Morse territory there are still moments where the old band shines through. Notably, the opener On A Perfect Day opens the album with a very V feel to it. Nothing wrong with this of course, and if you liked that album then you're sure to be pleased with this track. Heavier, surely, with the loud and (seemingly) intentionally messily organized guitar chiming in for some nice riffing. Those pleasant synths come in to bring the song down to earth and D'Virgillio delivers his first lines. A truly excellent opening for the album. This song is followed up strongly with the excellent instrumental Skeletons At The Feast which can only be described as pressing with the drums driving the song like there's no tomorrow under a crunching riff and some stabbing keys. The closing track Rearranged is also well worth mention here as it seems to be where the band is heading (hopefully) with their future releases - an excellent mix of prog and hard rock.

A couple of moments on the album show a much more typically "rock" side of the band. At this very point in life they seem to be deciding on which direction to take, or perhaps simply learning how to integrate a heavier side into their music. While the tracks are still split between heavy and typical Beard it's good to see them taking a new direction. Is This Love is the first evidence of this hard rock side - this quick and heavy song comes in and out leaving you thinking ''what was that just now?''. Prog heads who like rock to their prog should get a kick out of these kinds of songs - but not all will, surely. Other more rock oriented songs include the mid paced and Satriani-twinged Sometimes They Stay, Sometimes They Go with Morse's riff driving the song in a decidedly guitar showcase with a heavy blues feel. Wherever You Stand is the other song with this kind of feel, and this one is a little bit more upbeat and longer, but less of a standout than the others.

Of course, this wouldn't be Spock's Beard without the slow melancholic songs that we've been used to hearing from them all this time. On this effort there's a small but mixed bunch of them. The melodic and peaceful All That's Left has a wonderful chorus which makes good use of vocal harmonizing making for a very nice song. It's the others that have a bit of a problem. The Slow Crash Landing Man is a good track with another good chorus, but something about it just seems out of place. Perhaps it's just that the song is not as over-the-top as some of the other songs. Same goes for Hereafter.

But enough nitpicking, it's time to get to the main course. On this effort the Beard has put forth some of the best long-song suits that we've seen since their V days. Starting with the excellent With Your Kiss, which starts out worryingly (almost in AOR territory), but soon explodes into a pomp-prog suite of massive proportions with excellent soloing from every member well tied together by the melody of the track. But if that wasn't enough there's one more coming. As Far As The Mind Can See is an (unfortunately) split epic comprised of 4 parts. Each part is very individual from the other but still manages to keep theme as the story works it's way. For some reason this one gets a kind of Duke (Genesis) feel to it at points, but that really works for the track when taken as a whole. Very well done.

There's a few unnecessary tracks, but in general this is a great album from a band in transition. Even the cover art (below the cardboard slipcase) shows a band very different from what we've seen before. A very welcome and excellent release whose future could have seemed uncertain if not for the band finally finding some feet under them to run with. 4 stars! This is an excellent addition to any prog library, just don't expect it to sound anything like the Beard you're used to.

Spock´s Beard self titled album was the first post Neal Morse work by those guys that I bought. Like so many others I doubt if the band could handle things without their former charismatic leader. As far as I knew (and I think a lot of people), Neal Morse WAS Spock´s Beard. Everyone I know thought him as the actual lifeforce behind the band´s name, the others, as talented as they were, were not much more than HIS backing band. Well, I had to change that opinion after a few spins.

There are good and not so good news: first, I was amazed that there was no substite for Morse´s place, with the other former group´s members filling his functions (Ryo Okumto now playing all keyboards and alan Morse handling every guitar duties). And they did it very well, by the way. But the biggest surprise was hearing that drummer Nick D'Virgillio assumming lead vocals. Upon hearing the album I was even more amazed by the fact that the guy does have a fine voice and dilivers his interpretation like a seasoned crooner. The band was indeed better than I thought.

What about the songs? Well, those are the not so good news. Although they surely can write great tunes (like the opner, Perfect Day, a typical fina Spock´s Beard classic), the album itself suffers from a general lack of direction. Or, to be more precise, some focus and personality. Every song is good, but they don´t have a unity, sounding too much like a different band on each track. By the end of the CD you don´t really know what this CD is really about. Like we say in Brazil, they were shooting in all directions. The resultas are mixed: sometimes they hit the target, sometimes they don´t. Fortunatly, the good moments are really memorable and form the majority of the CD.

conclusion: a good album, no doubt about it, sometimes very good. But it is more promising than fulfilling. They overcame most of the problems they faced when Morse left the group, but they still have to find their own personality without him. If you like this Spock´s Beard already you should give a try on this. If you´re new To the band I recommend you hCar the CD before buying it. 3,5 stars.

I must say, I was worried about listening to Spock's Beard after Neal Morse left. And I was not alone in that. I'm glad, though, that I waited till this one came out to try out their sound. This is their strongest album since Snow, and ever despite some throwaway tracks, I feel it has to be given four stars for a band doing something I figured nearly impossible.

With the exception of Is This Love; Sometimes They Stay, Sometimes They Go; and Wherever You Stand; the songs are full energy and creative songwriting. Very refreshing songwriting in many cases. The vocals are absolutely amazing, with Nick rivaling Neal for frontman prowess. Even those commonly slammed pop bits sound nice and deep. They Know We Know, out of As Far as the Mind Can See, for example, is very simplistic and straightforward, but the balance between prog and straight rock is very well preserved in this one. Only the three tracks above give me any issues, and somehow they do not seem to drag down the quality of this one at all.

In short, this is one of the Beard's best releases, Neal or no, and it stands on its own as a band that can make good music that is both fun for them to play and interesting for us to listen to.

Despite a fair amount of filler, this eponymously-titled 9th studio album by the legendary US Prog- heroes contains some of their strongest group-work yet of the post-Neal Morse era. It also happens to be one of their longest too, featuring over 75-minutes worth of new material spread over 14 tracks, as well as featuring a 4-track mini-concept piece at the album's tail-end named 'As Far As The Eye Can See'. All in all it is all good news for the fans, and, especially in this age of short, sharp indie-punk, thumping dance-nonsense and 3-minute pop wonderment, reflects genuinely good value for money and is yet another reflection of the modern prog-scene as one of music's most fan-orientated sub-genre's. But what of the music? Album opener 'On A Perfect Day' may steal it's title from Lou Reed, but that's the sum of their similarity. It's an excellent start, featuring SB's penchant for strong hooks and overlapping melodies and manages to project the core, quintessential sonic feel of the band. In fact OAPD may just be a contender for the definitive SB tune. Nick D'Virgilio's voice is smooth, almost jazzy, and his ability to mimic and, yes, improve on Neal Morse's vocal style is spookily akin to Phil Collins gradual usurpation of Peter Gabriel's front-man role in NDV's childhood heroes Genesis, a move best summed up by the pastoral UK progger's then-label-manager Tony Stratton-Smith exclaiming that "He[Phil Collins] sounds more like Peter Gabriel than Peter Gabriel!". Indeed, NDV has achieved exactly what most fan-boy rockers rarely do, i.e. follow in almost the exact same footsteps of one of his heroes and attain almost the same comparative degree of success. It's a genuine feat, and it once again goes to show just what an accomplished, enthusiastic and important progressive rock band SB have morphed into over the years. Album no.9 may not be their best, but it is both accessible and steeped in the history of prog, a tricky combination that is incredibly hard to pull of in this modern, digital age. But back to the tracks. Sophomore song 'Skeletons at the Feast' is a funkier affair than its predecessor, with Ryu Okumoto prominent, but it isn't until the gorgeous pop-flavoured harmonies of 'All That's Left' that we are treated to another near-classic. NDV pushes the Phil Collins-style-and-feel-quotient to the limit here, with strong, impassioned vocals gliding over the top of Ryu's soaring keyboards. The song may rankle with some die-hard proggers, but there is no denying that it's a piece that wouldn't look or feel out of place on a latter-day Indie-pop album or in the top ten of the US and/or UK charts. Just with synths and more noodling. Help is on hand however, for those wanting something meatier, and the electric-rock of 'Sometimes They Stay, Sometimes They Go' duly supplies. Alan Morse lets rip with a killer zeppelin-inspired riff, brimming with his usual invention, the slamming guitar-sound founded on the steady, tricky bass-work of Dave Meros, whilst NDV's powerful drumming cleverly compliments yet more highly intricate keyboard-and-moog histrionics from the Osaka-born finger-wizard. The highlight of SB though has to be the four-song cycle that completes the set. Aptly-named 'As Far As The Mind Can See', each song takes on a different style, from straight-ahead prog to uplifting CSNY- inspired chorus-rock. 'They Know, We Know' continues the albums pattern of giving all the best songs a comma in the middle, with the famous SB harmonies - Morse, NDV, Ryu - working yet again in almost- perfect harmony. 'Rearranged' closes things nice and mellow and tops off a highly-satisfactory effort. The down-side though, has to be the claims and counter-claims that the band's sound is inching towards a poppier west-coast sound, and maybe it's true. Several songs simply amble along, either taking the straight-highroad thru commercial rock territory, faux-metal mumblings or summery schmaltz, but they still retain the bands unique sound. Maybe it's an experimental approach, maybe the guys are getting older and chilling out in their wiser years. Who really knows. But one thing is for sure. It doesn't make their tunes any less enjoyable and it doesn't make their style any less progressive. It's prog-rock people and the hint is in the name of the music.

STEFAN THOMAS TURNER, LONDON, 2008

There are four SPOCK'S BEARD album that I rate very highly, they're all personal favourites of mine. And that's what makes listening to this album so frustrating. Unless Neal comes back to this band this is the last SPOCK'S BEARD I purchase. Of course it's not all bad, but an average album that's over 77 minutes in length is tough to swallow. That's why 2 stars for me is the right rating,fans only.

"On A Perfect Day" recalls the good old days when it opens with guitar and keyboards leading in a bombastic way. It settles with reserved vocals after 1 1/2 minutes. Some good contrasts here actually and themes are repeated. Not a bad opener. "Skeletons At The Feast" is a top three.This thing rocks when it kicks in. A heavy rhythm section with synths sounds amazing.The guitar rips it up before 1 1/2 minutes. It's not as good before 3 minutes as synths lead the way but the bass is good. It's heavy again 3 1/2 minutes in with some great organ. Check out the guitar and mellotron late. Just a killer track ! "Is This Love" is the first mistake. A straight up rocker with bad vocals. Just not a fan. "All That's Left" makes up for it though. Another top three tune.This is my favourite, it just hits me emotionally. I like the keyboards too that make me think of PORCUPINE TREE. Gorgeous chorus. "With Your Kiss" is pretty good and the longest at almost 12 minutes. It's mellow early but it gets fuller. I like the sound after 4 minutes. The song continues to change.

"Sometimes They Stay, Sometimes They Go" is ok with the drums and vocals standing out. It sounds Alternative. "The Slow Crash Landing Man" is my other top three song. It has a relaxed melody and I like the lyrics.The organ is good too 3 minutes in. Nice guitar late. "Wherever You Stand" is a straight-up rock song that's fairly aggressive. "Hereafter" is a ballad with piano and fragile vocals. "Part 1:Dreaming In The Age Of Answers" kicks in before a minute with vocals in tow. A calm with piano 3 1/2 minutes in. "Part 2 : Here's A Man" is my fourth favourite. I like how jazzy and intricate it is. "Part 3:They Know We Know" is a fun song with a children's choir. "Part 4 : Stream Of Unconscoiusness" is uptempo with synths early. It settles as the tempo continues to change. It's ok. "Rearranged" features these reserved vocals, keys and mellotron early. It kicks in after 1 1/2 minutes.Contrasts continue.

Just too many misses on this album. Maybe i've just lost patience with this band.

Believe it or not, this was my introduction to Spock's Beard. I happened upon it in the mall, and knew the band name from a certain website I frequent. I had always been interested in hearing this band, and decided this would be a perfect opportunity. Of course, those who know the band would argue that this was not at all a perfect opportunity, since this album is three albums into a lineup missing the man most would consider the key member. Well, I guess that's too bad, because for what it's worth, this record whetted my appetite and made me all the more eager to hear what this excellent group sounded like with Neal Morse at the helm, and led to me acquire all their albums (although I still picked up Octane second- and I enjoy that one a little bit more than this). I feel like this is a mixed bag- it contains some of Spock's Beards best work after Morse's departure, but also contains some of the worst, as well as some okay, mediocre songs. The pieced-together "epic" is like Frankenstein's monster; it's certainly "alive," but is lumbering and none of the parts seem right together. All said, this is an excellent album, but only just.

"On a Perfect Day" By far the very best on the record, this first track opens with a powerful electric guitar riff and organ that lead into an amazing synthesizer melody over a bed of Mellotron. Dave Meros has a wonderfully gritty bass that cuts through the mix. The verse incorporates warbling, clean guitars and the capable voice of drummer Nick d'Virgilio. The instrumental interlude occurs in three parts. The first is an acoustic guitar duet. The second is piano, strings, and Mellotron, all culminating in a soothing guitar solo. The third is a more upbeat take on the introduction and verse using clean electric guitar, acoustic guitar, and organ. The song concludes with a commanding recitation of the chorus.

"Skeletons at the Feast" The instrumental on the album consists of Ryo Okumoto lighting it up with the organ, ushering the band into one of their heaviest performances ever. This is Spock's Beard doing progressive metal, pure and simple. And guess what? It works. The band does morph into symphonic rock bliss midway through, however, adding perfect variety to the piece, sounding quite a bit like The Flower Kings along the way.

"Is This Love" This hard rocker belongs in a dingy biker bar, not on a progressive rock album! It's not bad for what it is, but is completely disposable- I would probably find myself skipping it if it weren't so short.

"All That's Left" The first soft song on the album, this one shows Spock's Beard's ability to take the pop music they write and really make it shine. The chorus is very memorable, even if the lyrics are on the melodramatic side.

"With Your Kiss" The second soft song follows directly after the first, and is even mellower at first, and then becomes a heavy-handed beast of a song. It's unfortunate that the longest single track on the album is also the second weakest of all.

"Sometimes They Stay, Sometimes They Go" This track has Alan Morse on lead vocal. He has a voice that I would describe as what a love child between Eric Bloom and Donald Roeser of Blue Oyster Cult would sound like singing. Whatever the case, d'Virgilio certainly sounds miles better. Musically, this song is a pleasant rocker, but nothing more.

"The Slow Crash Landing Man" My second favorite track on the album has a steady rhythm and delightful melody. The build from the bridge to the synthesizer solo using a church organ and Mellotron is simple but effective, and the chorus is just magnificent.

"Wherever You Stand" Another filler, this track has great lead guitar work, but otherwise is chock full of goofy vocalizing, a boring rhythm section, and subpar singing- easily the worst of the bunch.

"Hereafter" Gentle piano introduces some abrupt singing. The beginning has a subtle vocal jazz feel. This is the softest song on the album, and may bore some.

"Dreaming in the Age of Answers" A gentle synthesizer lead begins the track, but soon the band enters, bringing with them great music with vocal sections reminiscent of 1980s pop rock. The instrumental section in the second half has a soft jazz flavor, with fretless bass, piano, and a brushed snare.

"Here's a Man" The second part maintains the jazz feel, but takes a fusion approach, kicking it up a notch with heavier drumming, organ, and a heavy bass groove. The organ solo is one of the most phenomenal performances on the album.

"They Know We Know" The third part of the "epic" begins starkly with heavy drumming and a decent vocal bit. The chorus is atrocious, though, and makes this the weakest segment of the four part piece.

"Stream of Unconsciousness" Morse whips things into the right direction, however, with a gritty guitar solo followed by a fabulous synthesizer lead. In the middle, a synthetic section takes over, incorporating a somewhat silly brass bit, as the band fades back in- a lackluster ending.

"Rearranged" The final track has a goofy introduction. Fortunately, the synthesizer lead makes up for it, as the music takes a heavier feel.

Well here you can find another controversial album, not only for the lacking creative hand of Neal Morse, but also because these American guys have already expressed their ability and music "cleverness" as well, during their first years along with the co-founder Neal Morse the same. There are too many different musical directions inside and sometimes quite far away from the mood of the progressive music-genre. For instance a few good tracks such as "On A Perfect Day", "Skeleton's At The Feast" or "Slow Crash Landing Man" are not so bad! All these songs belong to the spirit of the early albums; instead for example the song "Is this love" is a disappointing number and without a precise music direction, but is aligned with their recent works (such as "Octane"), which don' t include neither pop hits nor creative progressive tunes. Perhaps it could be an exception an easy good track like "All That's Left", a normal pop song characterized by an interesting chorus and a good arrangement too, but thinking of "With your kiss" I immediately change idea about it, as this latter tune is a very weak music perform and at the end it makes me listen to another kind of modern prog music, like for instance that one incredible inside "Suffocating the Bloom" by Echolyn... it's a question of preferences nowadays, but of course I prefer spending my spare time listening to something odd or intelligent, even though it could be another usual attempt to make a renewal of the classic prog genre...make your own choice as usual!

After Neal Morse left Spock's Beard I thought that the band was over and done with so naturally I ignored their releases Feel Euphoria and Octane. Then came 2006 and the release of this self-titled album...

Naturally I considered the self-titled album-move to be as a sort of reboot of the band just like the self-titled Genesis album marked the complete transition into a pop territory for Banks/Collins/Rutherford, as if it wasn't obvious enough with the release of Abacab. I remember hearing a brief sample of On A Perfect Day and thinking to myself that this truly sounds like the new Spock's Beard have finally found their direction. Unfortunately, listening to the album I quickly realized how wrong I was.

The album kicks of with the amazing track called On A Perfect Day which is the followed up by another pleasant instrumental entitled Skeletons At The Feast. But once track number three starts the whole release goes downhill from there on. As Far As The Mind Can See was another one of those compositions that I was really looking forward to but, once again, was really disappointed by such a disastrous and disjointed composition. Only the last two parts of that composition have something new and exciting to offer but they don't make up for all the terrible material featured on the rest of this album.

***** star songs: On A Perfect Day (7:47)

**** star songs: Skeletons At The Feast (6:33) Stream Of Unconsciousness (5:23) Rearranged (6:07)

*** star songs: All That's Left (4:45) With Your Kiss (11:46) Sometimes They Stay, Sometimes They Go (4:31) The Slow Crash Landing Man (5:47) Hereafter (5:01) Dreaming In The Age Of Answers (4:49) Here's A Man (3:28) They Know We Know (3:18)

** stars songs: Is This Love (2:51) Wherever You Stand (5:09)

Spock's Beard bounced back after the unimpressive "Octane" album, with this eponymously title album that shows (finally) that even without Neal Morse, the band can come up with some very good prog.

The album begins well, starting with On A Perfect Day, a song that is so good that it could have fit on any of the earlier albums. Skeletons At The Feast follows, a strong prog-metal songs that bristles with energy.

After that, the album wavers some, as Nick D'Virgilio seems to be pushing the band back toward the mundane ballads of the last album. But after a shaky start, With Your Kiss actuall turns into a good piece. The rest of the middle of the album again goes up and down, with the tunes getting way too close to arena rock.

But it gets better again, with As Far As The Mind Can See, a prog suite. The second section, Here's A Man, a funky fusion piece, is particularly good.

It's a mixed bag, but there is enough great material for me to give this three stars, round up.