SPOCK'S BEARD

Not as bad as people make it out to be. Not the worst Spock album (*coughs* Octane *coughs*), but certainly not the best either. The album kicks off in usual Spock style with On A Perfect Day. I really like the delicate acoustic guitar part in this song, and also the build up from there. It then continues with Skeletons At The Feast, which is up and down. It's only really worth listening to for the ending chromatic riff. Is This Love? is abismal rubbish, I cannot stand it, and neither should you! The following five aren't really memorable enough to deserve a mention, there just ain't really much to them, apart from the progressive vein in With Your Kiss. The suite from tracks 10-14 is excellent, but has nothing on previous epics like At The End Of The Day or Harm's Way, so don't be expecting much! The album finishes with a brilliant keyboard song, Rearranged. This is the only song I'm not bored of yet, and probably the best on the album.

Overall an inconsistant album, and I can see why people hate it, but I don't mind it. It brings hope for the future, and hopefully the next album will improve on the downspiral they've been going through without Neal. The highlights are definitely On A Perfect Day, As Far As The Mind and Rearranged, although even they're not exectly prog gems. 2stars, collectors/fans only.