Spock's Beard - Snow

Spock's Beard

Snow

Inside Out Music

Being an ardent fan of Spock’s Beard for some years makes it quite a challenge to review their sixth studio outing, Snow. There’s also the fact that this is their first attempt at a full-blown double concept album that makes the task at hand even harder.

Suffice to say, Snow is everything you expect from the band. The album is based on an Albino psychic character named John Sikeston (AKA "Snow") who grows up sheltered from normal life until his move to New York in his teenage years. The story features a whole host of characters that flesh out the story.

Now, what about the music? Well, there are plenty of lavish melodic moments (‘Made Alive’, ‘Love Beyond Words’ and ‘Solitary Soul’), hard rock numbers (‘Stranger In A Strange Land’, ‘Welcome To NYC’, ‘Freak Boy’ and ‘Devil’s Got My Throat’) and progressive workouts (‘Overture’, Second Overture’ and ‘Snow’s Night Out’).

Nick D’Virgilio (Drums) deserves special mention for his stunning lead vocals on the tracks ‘Carrie’ and ‘Looking For Answers’. He’s improved ten fold since his solo album Karma.

If I really had to be critical (and its hard, let me tell you!), the real weak moment on the album has to be the keyboard solo ‘Ladies And Gentlemen, Mister Ryo Okumoto On The Keyboards’. It may well be short by seventies standards, but unnecessary nether less. It would be impossible to really go through the album track by track, and I believe that fans would rather discover the album as a whole by themselves. All is made up though with the final piece of the puzzle ‘Made Alive Again/Wind At My Back’. The band turns everything (vocals harmonies and instruments up to ten) in a towering crescendo. Pure magic that words can’t describe!

Between the perfect harmonies and the songs that never outstay their welcome, there’s a sense that the time is perfect for Spock’s Beard to finally arise to the top of the progressive field along side Porcupine Tree and Dream Theater, and lose long forgotten icons of the past like Genesis, Marillion and Ayreon. This is an album that truly defies words, and will live well beyond its shelf life. There’s a lack of bands of this calibre, and that is a real shame. Both progressive and concept are not dirty words to those of my age.

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© Justin Donnelly.