BEYOND THE SHROUDED HORIZON

There is very little on this album that is not on any previous Hackett albums, but at the same time listening to it is highly satisfying. Hackett has definitely found his particular niche. The acoustic and electric mix we are used to hearing are not separated much, but rather many of the songs employ both approaches, intertwining them into a rich and organic whole. The songs are well constructed, as is expected, and are better than usual. Rocks more than To Watch the Storms but is not as meaty as Wild Orchids. (Not having Out of the Tunnel's Mouth, I can't compare it to that.) We have bombast, melodrama, thematics, soft segments, expert integration of various instruments and tones. In short, a Steve Hackett album. Outstanding tracks include the opener, Loch Lomond, Waking to Life, with Amanda Lehman's excellent vocals, and the 11-minute opus, Turn This Island Earth. If you want a concise experience of Hackettness, this one song will give you all you need to know. I am also particularly fond of the Four Winds suite found on disc two of the expanded version. I recommend that one, not that there is much truly different on it, but that it is more high quality music. Nit-pickers will no doubt eschew the presence of Enter the Night, a vocal version of Pressure Drop (found on Time Lapse) and the pumped up version of Cured's Air Conditioned Nightmare called here Reconditioned Nightmare. For me, I find the vocal of the former a significant alteration of the original, while the latter amps up a song I always thought could be amped up (not that I have a problem with the original). Many will also be pleased there is nothing like Diary of a Vanishing Man or the slowed down vocals he has used so often in the past. This one is classy all the way through. Stylistically, nothing new, but that is not to say we have a clone of previous albums. The integrated approach here is distinct, and the production is superb. Another great release from a great artist.