Well Bearders, here you have the tenth slice of quirkiness from the self-proclaimed best prog rock band in the world. Such a brazen claim might be tricky to back up, but in today’s modern climate of prog rock, it’s difficult to argue with, because this album, in keeping with the last nine outings of these guys, is absolutely fantastic.
Let’s start with those less familiar with the band – Spock’s Beard was formed in 1992, despite the often 70’s-inspired sound. However, in their albums, and this being a shining example, they lace their dreamy hippy-shirted prog with their own technical touches, which creates a sound completely different (gasp) from their genre. Long gone are the days of Neal Morse, which might attract some new fans as song-writer / vocalist / multi-musician Nick D’Virgilio’s voice is much more tolerable than his predecessor, which many believe held the band back. Fortunately, he is still on drum duty also, and there are not many better jazz-inspired skinsmen out there, if any.
As the seasoned Bearders know, these roster changes of the past (although needless to say, the debate still rages today ala Marillion) do not make the music any less self-indulgent; in fact, this is as free-roaming and experimental (some would say ‘wanky’) as ever. The fact that there are seven songs on this album which span over seventy minutes speaks for itself, with two of these epics, ‘From The Darkness’ and ‘Jaws Of Heaven’ nearly clocking in at twenty minutes, having a number of parts between them. Yes, there seem to be more instrumental interludes as ever, but luckily they all have their own place in the song, with Alan Morse’s guitars and Ryo Okumento’s keyboard wizardry as emotional and well-guided as ever. In fact, when they manage to keep a song under ten minutes, ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’ being a good example, the conciseness makes for a rollicking and rocking song. This said, there is of course the obligatory instrumental, in this album’s case the madcap ‘Kamikaze’, which whilst demonstrating exactly what puts people off this genre, will be devoured by tech-heads out there, with time signature flaunting which Dream Theater would be proud to call their own.
‘X’ will probably not gain any new listeners for the band, despite their much more palatable vocals and general song-writing. There is a feast of Beard on this album, demonstrating everything that is good (and in some eyes, bad) about the band. From the soft to the heavy, from the sublime to the ridiculous, it is rare, even in this genre, to find such talent in one place. It is a crime that these guys are not more well-known, but it makes hearing such a masterpiece all the more special.
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