THE NIGHT SIREN

This is a good, entertaining, and interesting album that is better than Wolflight mainly because the ideas here are more developed. "Behind the Smoke," one of the highlights of the album, is a exciting, heavy song that does a great job as an opener with catchy melodies, a dark feel, and a great buildup in the middle. "Martian Sea," a song with a bit of a punk vibe, is not one of the best tracks on the album, with a chorus that is just too catchy and an instrumental section that seems like it might have just been improvised. "Fifty Miles from the North Pole" is better, with interesting singing, guitar playing, drumming, and mood changes that keep the song interesting for its seven minutes. The instrumental "El Niño" is in my opinion the best track on the album. This track is very melodic and also musically interesting with its seamless time signature changes and its signature Steve Hackett style. "Other Side of the Wall" is a less interesting track that does not really go anywhere. "Anything But Love" is a fun song with Latin influences that still manages to feel like Steve Hackett. "Inca Terra" is one of the best tracks on the album. This track just manages to pack several different styles, with good vocal melodies, interesting rhythms, and changes in atmosphere, all while still being very cohesive. "In Another Life" really just seems like a generic filler track. "In the Skeleton Gallery" is another highlight of the album, with a dark vocal section giving way to a part with a weird rhythm followed by some great guitar playing and drumming. "West to East" is a simple song with a fun, happy chorus, and the instrumental part from the first track works extraordinarily well as a part of this song. "The Gift" is an emotional ending that works well but is not one of the more memorable parts of the album. While this album does have a little bit of filler, it is overall a worthy and memorable part of Steve Hackett's career, and it is more than worth checking out.