Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent second post-Morse album, 18 Feb 2005
Anyone who has listened to progressive rock music over the years will know that it contains adventurous twists and turns on a near-classical scale. Whilst this album is not necessarily punctuated by lengthy pieces each track converges into a whole landscape of music from beatiful ballads to more harder rock tracks. Spocks Beard have reinvented themselves since Neal Morse's departure and this album is proof, if proof is needed, that they are on a real up. What seals it for me in many respects is the scope given to Alan Morse to deliver some brilliant guitar work, especially found on the magnificent She is Everything. Also, in my opinion, any prog album with lush mellotron sounds is a winner. Check out the short but ever so sweet mellotron track Lettin Go. Great album, great band!
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Second post-Morse effort and a good one, 14 Feb 2005
This is the second post-Morse album from America's premier progressive rock outfit. When band leader Neal Morse did a Gabriel and quit the band, they quickly re-grouped themselves with the "Feel Euphoria" album. I liked that album a lot. I felt that Neal Morse, excellent songwriter though he is, had such a strong presence within the band that compositionally and instrumentally the other members were somewhat restricted and stifled in what they could offer. With Morse gone this enabled the remaining members of the band free reign to stretch out with their own ideas. In particular, guitarist Alan Morse impressed on "Feel Euphoria", showcasing a vast array of different styles throughout that first Morse-free album. Now the band are back with "Octane", which shows the band more confident than ever. Though there are no lengthy prog epics on this, the first half of the album is taken up with the excellent suite, "A Flash Before My Eyes". Made up from seven separate songs, linked by the story of a man re-living his past through flashbacks immediately after a car crash. A simple story maybe and done before, most recently by Ayreon on "The Human Equation". But the main theme of the piece is gorgeous and typically Spock's Beard and much credit goes to bassist Dave Meros who wrote the majority of the suite which works very well. Next up is the instrumental "NWC", which has lots of unusual textures running through it, but doesn't quite have that strong hook that you feel expecting as you listen. The remaining tracks have less of a "prog" feel to them and more of an AOR sound. But don't let that put you off. The quality of the songwriting and performances is always high and Spock's Beard always make it special. "There Was a Time" is a spirited rocker with excellent harmony vocals and nice background mellotron from Ryo Okumoto. Okumoto uses mellotron (samples?) quite heavily throughout. "The Planet's Hum" is the most prog rock of the latter tracks. "Watching the Tide" is an exceptionally beautiful ballad, starting with a captivating piano intro leading into Nick D'Virgilio giving a stunningly emotional high register vocal. In fact throughout, D'Virgilio's vocals are excellent. Finally, "As Long as We Ride" ends things on a highly energetic rocker. The band sound as if they are thoroughly enjoying playing this as they do throughout the album. It did take me a few listens to get into this album as did "Feel Euphoria" but it was worth it. This is a solid album, with the band on excellent form. The playing and production is top notch. I would recommend the 2 CD Special Edition if you can get it. The extra tracks on there are really worth getting, where the band experiment a bit more. If anything they are as good if not better than some of the tracks on the main disc. Much edgier stuff. So all in all a fine follow up to "Feels Euphoria" and not once was the spirit of Neal Morse felt. This is a new, refreshed Spock's Beard and one that I am enjoying very much. I think they have still lots to offer.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not the Spock's of Old, 3 Feb 2005
By A Customer
After the departure of Neal Morse, Spock's Beard made the experimental (for them) album Feel Euphoria. When I heard that album, I thought this is an experiment that didn't quite work, and the next album will see them go back to what, I consider, they are best at. With Octance, this hasn't happened. Some of the tracks are good, but leave you wanting more, but some I have to skip over. Maybe, after time I will learn to enjoy this new sound.These guys are fantastic musicians, and I hope they go back to their earlier style. Octane may bring them a new generation of followers, but in the process they may lose some old fans. If you are looking for an album like Beware of Darkness, V, or The Light, this is not it. It is very different. There are no epic songs that many fans yearn for, most tracks being about 5 minutes in length. I have to say, in summary, this fan is disappointed, although the video at the end of the second disc is quite entertaining.
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