SNOW

As a Christian, and as a fan of Spock's Beard, I was delighted to hear about Neal Morse's new-found faith. This concept album is one of his early attempts to express aspects of that faith in a relatively unobtrusive way, being full of Biblical allusions and themes. The trouble is that it doesn't work well. Morse's solo material, which is more explicitly Christian so you know where he is coming from and can take it or leave it, is much better.

The story which is told through the cd is unconvincing, weird and at times simply silly. Having said that, the music is superb, including some of SB's best work. It ranges from prog-metal through AOR to pop, and contains some regular SB features; catchy riffs, beautiful melodies which appear in different guises, wild Hammond organ solos from Ryo. Neal's vocals are excellent and varied, and there are some excitng instrumental passages.

The bonus cd in some editions contains a superb cover of Yes' 'South Side of the Sky'. The double cd is a failure as a concept album, but the sheer quality of the music renders it worthy of 4 stars.