BEYOND THE SHROUDED HORIZON

In recent years, Steve Hackett has been putting out some of the best albums of his career. His vocals have improved tremendously since the days of Cured and Highly Strung, and his guitar playing is still as good as ever. How does this new release compare to the likes of To Watch the Storms and Out of the Tunnel's Mouth? Personally, I prefer it to both of them. From the soaring "A Phoenix Flown" to the epic "Turn This Island Earth," the listener will encounter some of the best songs Hackett has produced in his lengthy career (and that's saying a lot). For me, highlights include "Loch Lomond", "A Phoenix Flown", the "Prairie Angel/A Place Called Freedom" suite, "Two Faces of Cairo," and the monstrous twelve minute closer, "Turn this Island Earth." I also recommend getting your hands on the special edition, as some of the bonus tracks are just as good as the main album.