BEYOND THE SHROUDED HORIZON

In 2009, Steve Hackett found himself experiencing a new bout of creative resurgence. After a divorce from his wife Kim Poor, Steve was free to go in any direction he saw fit. So what direction did he choose to go with his 2011 album Beyond The Shrouded Horizon? All of them. Beyond The Shrouded Horizon is an incredibly ambitious album that has the sound of a cinematic soundscape that feels less like one full song. For me, this album is a masterstroke of genius.

"Loch Lomond" opens up with an intro that really does a great job setting the mood of this album. It's all about composition. Loch Lomond is fairly safe territory for Steve, as it feels in line with Out of The Tunnel's Mouth, until the bagpipes show up. Either way, it's a solid, safe start, and is backed by an outro in "The Phoenix Flown."

From here, it seamlessly transitions into "Wanderlust" A short, solo classical guitar interlude that eases us into the next song, an acoustic ballad that will immediately sound familiar to those experienced in the genre.

"Till These Eyes" is a soft, acoustic ballad that would not have been out of place in the 70's. The acoustic guitar, along with the symphonic backing will make you think that you're listening to Dust In The Wind. Steve's vocals have usually been serviceable to this point, but here it goes a little beyond that, thanks to the harmonies in the chorus.

"Prairie Angel" is an interlude that takes us into the next stop on this journey, Americana. It's a fantastic opening to my favorite song on the album.

"A Place Called Freedom" is a wonderful piece of Americana that creates a vision of a time before America had been colonized. Songs like this are perfectly suited for Steve's singing style, and he absolutely owns it. There's even a brief callback to Racing In A, another Steve Hackett classic. However, the big callback is to Prairie Angel, creating a perfect compliment.

"Between the Sunset and the Coconut Palms" sees us lost at sea. It's a soft, acoustic tune that once again, compliments Steve's singing, thanks to some harmonizing, and the soft sound of the acoustic guitar. And as we sail, we eventually find ourselves at our next stop, Egypt.

"Waking To Life" sees Steve flex a more ethnic style of music. While Steve is no stranger to using an ethnic beat, this song is a lot stronger than any previous attempt. Nothing here is synthetic, there's a fantastic level of authenticity. Easily the catchiest song on the album.

"Two Faces Of Cairo" compliments the previous song by being a polar opposite of the previous. Rather than being the catchy, more upbeat fun song, Two Faces Of Cairo is an instrumental that gets your heart pounding, right down to the drums. The drums are the star of this song, it feels like a war beat. A fitting title.

"She's Only Looking For Fantasy" is another beautiful acoustic ballad about a woman seeking an escape from reality. There are some guitar solos here from Steve's classical guitar that can only be summed up as pretty. Steve's singing does this song a wonderful service.

"Summer's Breath" picks up as another instrumental interlude on the classical side of things. It's a tune that would not have been out of place with 70's Genesis. It leads us into the next phase of our journey, blues rock.

"Catwalk" sees Steve going for blues rock. While Steve's blues rock can be hit or miss, he hits it here. From Steve's guitar work, to his singing, this is one of those occasions where everything is fire, right down to the guitar solos. It's an enjoyable tune, and a perfect place before our final stop, the epic conclusion.

"Turn This Island Earth" is a 12 minute epic that concludes the album perfectly. We've been all around the world, and there's nowhere else to go but space. This song has all the things you could ever ask for from Steve Hackett, guitar solos, a drum solo, and going from rock to symphonic. This song, much like the album, goes in every possible direction, and yet it's still a very cohesive song. A fitting conclusion to the album.

I can spin this album nonstop, and never get sick of it. Every listen through still feels fresh to this day, and shows Steve has learned so much throughout his career. I can't recommend this one enough.

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