SPOCK'S BEARD

Spock's Beard's ninth studio effort is one of inconsistencies. The music goes off in too many directions thus the album lacks direction. It would seem like the band cannot decide whether it wants to be a progressive rock band or a straight forward rock band. This was never and issue during the Neal Morse era. With their terrific previous album, Octane, the band's identity issues seemed to be a thing of the past, but it seems there might be some soul searching left to do. If there is something I have learned over the years is that you cannot please everyone.but I digress. Through the 11 songs on this album, Symphonic Prog fans will most likely be distracted by the standard rock tracks which are generally strong but don't fit Spock Beard's well-established mould.

The production level is great all the way through. As always the musicianship is top notch and the vocals are consistently strong. The keyboard and guitar sounds took me back to the late eighties and early nineties, which I liked quite a bit.

On a Perfect Day and With Your Kiss are probably the strongest prog tracks on the album, while As Far as the Mind Can See, the longest song on the album at 16 minutes, probably should have been cut in half.

All That's Left and Rearranged are probably the strongest rock tracks on the album, while Is This Love and Sometimes They Stay should simply have been left off the CD.

In the end, the album is probably 15 minutes too long. Though still a strong effort for the most part, Spock's Beard lacks some texture which I like in symphonic progressive rock albums. I would still recommend this album, but you may find yourself skipping over a few tracks.

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