Beyond The Shrouded Horizon [Double CD, Extra tracks, Limited Edition]

As stated by the last reviewer, this CD is really up there with some of Steve Hackett classic's, where some artists offerings tend to get weaker as the years pass, this is not the case with "Beyond the Shrouded Horizon".
You really feel like you have been on a journey after listening to this, fantastic musicianship, with guitar solo's played with emotion, this is as good as it gets! Roll on next years UK tour!

"The New Studio Album from Former Genesis Guitarist". You would think that considering Steve Hackett left Genesis 34 years ago and has a solo discography far larger than that produced in the entire history of the band Genesis, he may have outgrown that particular moniker but NO!

Steve Hackett, herein reffered to as "The Former Genesis Guitarist" (TFGG), has produced another scorcher of an album. Beyond the Shrouded Horizon (BTSH) may have a very pretentious name but the music is beautifully and masterfully pulled off leaving you with chills gliding up and down your spine. I expect great things from TFGG anyway but this exceeded any expectations I might have had previously. Not only is it a fitting addition to the FFG discography but it is actually a real credit to it. The emotional power of Beyond the Shrouded Horizon is not to be doubted. Nor is the impeccable playing and singing throughout.

As usual TFGG opens with a belter. Loch Lomond is a classic FGG track with a long instrumental rock introduction. The lyrics are brilliant but seem to be describing a tropical lake of some sort so I'm not entirely sure what Loch Lomond is doing in this song. One of the first things that struck me about this song is that TFGG really pushes his voice. I'm not saying that he's a bad singer but his voice has never been as strong as, for example, The Original Genesis Frontman or even the Former Genesis singer/drummer. On Out of the Tunnels Mouth, TFGG started trying new things with his voice and on this album has found a confidence in his singing which really brings a whole new dimension to his music.

Loch Lomond flows into "The Phoenix Flown" which is essentially an instrumental extension of Loch Lomond but is very welcome here. TFGG has always written fairly epic and powerful instrumental pieces, both electric and acoustic, and BTSH is no different. The perfect example being that The Phoenix Flown is followed by "Wanderlust" which is a short and very nice acoustic piece which serves as an introduction to...

Til These Eyes is a very mellow and slightly melancholy song with the typical, semi-mystical, ambiguous lyrics we have come to expect from TFGG. There is a brilliant balance of moods on this album which stops it becoming overwhelming and Til These Eyes is certainly one of the most downbeat tracks on here but is followed by possibly the most upbeat tracks.

Prairie Angle is another rock instrumental with a very uplifting feel. Once again it serves as an introduction to a song which in this case is A Place Called Freedom. Set in the wild west, this is basically a love song. The guitar and flute mix beautifully to create a real feel of adventure and freedom. Lyrical verses are interspaced with long instrumental interludes to create a truly wonderful track.

We're bought straight back to Earth with Between the Sunset and the Coconut Palms. As the name would suggest, the lyrics in this track are amazingly pretentious. Not that I'm complaining as TFGG's lyrics are some of my favourites from any artist I listen to. It's in the same vein as Til These Eyes as far as mood is concerned though it has a slightly more positive chorus.

Waking to Life is an interesting track because lead vocals are handled by Amanda Lehmann. The mood swiftly soars with the guitar into another mystical love song which seems to concern someone infatuated with someone they've only ever seen in a dream. The simple one line chorus of "And I've never seen your face before" is enough to make Waking to Life worth playing over and over again. I'm sure Amanda Lehmann is smiling when she sings this.

The next track Two Faces of Cairo is a stand alone instrumental set in Egypt. I can't think of how to describe this one other than incredibly epic. The textures and tones of this song threaten to steal the whole album and I would be tempted to call it the most epic track on here had I not heard the rest of the album.

Looking For Fantasy is a track that TFGG claims Jimi Hendrix sang to him in a dream. He describes it as "uncharacteristic" of Jimi Hendrix. Hmm interesting that. Anyway, it's another melancholy song about a "flower girl" who's somewhat stuck in the past with references to all sorts of things that probably mean something to people of a certain age.

Approching the end of the Album we run into Summer's Breath which is a short acoustic introduction to an atomic bomb of a track Catwalk. Catwalk is a very bluesy number which some ferocious sounding guitar and guest bass from Chris Squire. At one point TFGG even makes his guitar imitate a cat which is quite amusing. Once again, if this were my first listen, the title of "Most Epic Track on TFGG New Studio Album" would have a new contender but the last track is about to shoot the rest of the album to pieces with an AK-47.

Turn This Island Earth. This track is an entire sentence in itself. It was apparantly based on a film that TFGG enjoyed as a child. It's a shame I already used the phrase "incredibly epic" to describe Two Faces of Cairo because now I'm going to have to make up words for Turn This Island Earth. The mood shifts from dark to ecstatic, ecstatic to epic, epic to dark then right back to epic. There are so many words for this song that TFGG struggles to even fit them in. This is a modern prog epic and is a fitting finale to a brilliant rock album by the genius that is TFGG.

Overall, this may be my favourite FGG albums of all time. Out of The Tunnels Mouth was brilliant in itself but now seems like a glimpse of what was to come. All I can say is, I've bought tickets to see TFGG, you should too. Any track off Beyond the Shrouded Horizon performed live is not something you're gonna want to miss. and yes he'll play some Genesis stuff as well).

I've followed Steve Hackett's music for over 30 years. This album is possibly his best work ever, incredible that he is still producing music of this quality after all these years. A truly great album.