FEEL EUPHORIA

I was I recent Spock's Beard listener when Neal Morse said goodbye to his motherband, and I was afraid of what the group could make without him... And although the result is absolutely not bad, I felt tat some of the Spock's magic was gone. Some part of this magic could be heard in Neal Morse's "Testimony", but it was also unsatisfaying to me... So my feelings about the band and his former leader were a bit mixed back in 2003.

Nevertheless, through the years I've appreciated this album like it is... A very good work of fine prog rock music. I sitll a bit hard to hear Nick D´Virgilio triying to imitate the Nearl's voice in Carry On, and some of the songs are not really catchy and well composed, like the failed title track, and the disperse The Botton Line.

But the good facts win here... It's a pleasure to hear the Ryo Okumoto's work through the album. His keyboards are imaginative, variated, and I love his using of mellotron and electronic sounds. The same can be said about Alan Morse, who sounds really liberated in this album. D'Virgilio's voice is also very competent (except a pair of tracks when he tries to imitate Neal Morse...), and Dave Meros is still great, although his bass sounds a bit diminished.

The band's new style is more hard rock oriented than the works with Neal... The jazz and latin elements that were habitual in older albums, here are almost gone. "Feel Euphoria" has more electronic elements, and the guitars riffs have a lot of protagonism too. Is still the same band, but they sound really different... That's a good thing, because the Neal's style is difficult to imitate, and they focused their efffort in trying to make good and refreshing album... And they achieved it, although the result could have been better.

Best tracks: Onomatopeia (good opener... Great guitars!), Ghost of Autumn (I like the Savatage-like piano intro... Fine ballad) and A Guy Named Sid (brave guys! They even made an epic... And it's the best part of the album!)

Conclusion: if you are searching some of the old Spock's Beard's style, you'll not find in here... Without Neal Morse, they are just a different band. I'll not make a comparision between this new era and the older one for that reason... But "Feel Euphoria" is still a worthy modern prog rock album, with some fine tracks and interesting ideas. They are great musicians, they have played music together for a long time, and they know how to make good music... And although I miss some true magic here, It's a pleasure to hear this band going on after Neal Morse's departure!

My rating: ***

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