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I cut my teeth on progressive rock.  Genesis, Pink Floyd, Queen, Supertramp … they were mainstay super groups of the ‘70’s and ‘80’s.  But somewhere along the line the crowds began to dwindle and the musical and lyrical mastery of Prog Rock had come to be identified by fell by the wayside.  Prog Rock never died of course; a lot of the bands  continued to crank out their wares – albeit to a smaller audience – throughout the ’90’s.  

 

Now though, there appears to be somewhat of a reorganization and redefinition of what Progressive Rock music and Spock’s Beard is one group riding the cutting edge of this reformation.  “Snow,” the band’s sixth studio release, was my first introduction to this band, who I had heard about frequently with regard to founding member Neal Morse’s involvement in the conglomerate prog super group, “Transatlantic”.  I had every intention of giving Spock’s Beard a whirl, but never got around to doing it until “Snow” arrived in the mail.

What I heard blew me away. 

 

The ‘new’ Progressive Rock is quite similar to what I’m familiar with, but with enhancements in technology, mixing technology and the raw energy of youth.  The greatest difference, I think is in the area of electric guitar.  Much of what I’m hearing now from neo-Prog bands is guitar work that borders on heavy metal, but with a crispness and precision that few in the metal crowd can attest to.  Oh yeah, the synths, organs and pianos are all there and so are the techno-centric drums and percussion, but now there’s a greater depth – there’s shades of electronica, voice and industrial sampling and just one sonic surprise after another!  This is truly great musicians taking every advantage of the styles and technology of the new millennium to extend a genre that, to my ear at least, blows away just about everything out there, radio or otherwise. 

 

“Snow” is a concept album.”  It’s already being described in the same vein as “Tommy” and “The Wall” and it’s so goddamn good that I still can’t believe Spock’s Beard isn’t a household name.  But such is the case with Progressive Rock today.  The audiences are smaller, but they’re ravenously devoted – and for good cause! 

 

Now, before I go into the album itself, I have to admit up front that I kind of got ripped off by the label that sent it to me.  Well, not really actually… they sent me an advanced copy which included a single CD.  “Snow” is actually a two CD compilation with over 115 minutes of music (imagine THAT!), but as the lowly reviewer who gets everything before it is actually released, I got what they had and that was the single CD version.  But I think I have heard enough of it to be able to write about it – and it may be interesting to note that, even though free review CD’s come in the mail like so many credit card apps and Publisher’s Clearing house letters, I will gladly run out to the local record store and buy the full version! 

 

“Snow” is about an albino teenager who finds himself with the ability to see things other people can’t.  This vision makes him first a freak, then somewhat of a messiah as the music tells the story of his life.  The lyrics are absolutely first-rate and the music… oh the music… wow!  I LIKE what Prog rock has become! 

 

The first track starts off with a soothing acoustic guitar and the polished, yet not-so-perfect vocal stylings of Neal Morse.  It’s a quick interlude that ends with a short French horn solo and then BAM!  All hell breaks loose!  I wasn’t prepared for such a balls-out metal break-away and I have to admit that it was offsetting the first time I heard it (being from the old school and all…) but the hardcore becomes a mélange of more traditional stylings with some really well-played keyboards in amongst the pounding bass and ripping guitar crunches… this is all PERFECT, just like true Prog Rock has always been.  Instead of turning down the volume and yelling for the neighbor kids to get off my lawn, I found myself cranking this up… WAY up!  Because it is just that good, just that RIGHT! 

 

The overture, as it’s dubbed on the liner notes fades into the actual meat of the concept.  The whole album goes from fast to slow to frenetic to laid back and everywhere in between.  The balance is damn near flawless, with only a couple very minor flaws (to my ear) in the “keyboard noodling” department, but these little annoyances are rare and short and do nothing to detract from the product as a whole. 

 

From my vantage point, the highlights of the album fall into two categories:  the musical interludes and the vocals.  Neal Morse’s voice is refreshing.  Equally at leisure with quiet, acoustic numbers (“Made Alive,” “I’m Dying”) and the harder, almost metalesque screechings (“Devil’s Got My Throat”), Morse is an accomplished vocalist and a damn good musician to boot.  Musically, there’s just no way I can describe all the nuances in a single article.  There’s phenomenal use of guitar and bass to drive home the harder rocking tunes, but then there’s the synth arrangements that totally declassify the metalish stereotype and propel Spock’s Beard into a whole new dimension.  It’s kind of hard to put my finger on a single keyboard/synth section that defines the sound of Spock’s Beard, but there’s no doubt that the band would completely lose its edge and dimension were the keys to be taken from the mix.  Keyboards have always been an integral part of Prog Rock and “Snow” is no exception to that fact.  Between Morse and Ryo Okumoto, the soundscapes provided by the keyboards are what, in my mind, make the band. 

 

While I don’t expect Spock’s Beard to start tearing up the Billboard top 40 charts (that’s a rarity among Prog Rock bands), there are some gleaming moments on “Snow” that are quite radio-friendly.  The biggest case in point is the song “Wind At My Back” which sounds to my ears like something Crowded House would have had all over radio about eight years ago.  It’s a great song with a wonderful hook, harmonies and lyrics that would play great at radio… if they could only get somebody to take the plunge and play it! 

 

So I’m going to leave it at this.  Spock’s Beard is one of the freshest, most exciting bands I’ve come across in several years.  They’re not new, but they’re gaining audience with every single release, so to many “Snow” might be a musical epiphany.  Anything I say about these guys is not going to be praise enough – this is Progressive Rock perfection for the 21st Century!  You need this CD!