BRIEF NOCTURNES AND DREAMLESS SLEEP

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The Beard is back! Yep, that's right, just when you thought it was safe to head off to an alternate universe full of Vulcans with goatees, we have the third incarnation of the boys. Gone is Nick D'Virgilio and his mad drumming and his umm . . . mad singing? I don't know, it was the best that I had at the time. Joining the band on a permanent basis is their previous touring drummer Jimmy Keegan and new to the band is former lead singer of Enchant, Ted Leonard. Rounding out the band is the core of Dave Meros on bass, Alan Morse on guitar and Ryo Okumoto on keyboards.

After Neal Morse left the band in 2002, the writing duties were split among the band with Nick D'Virgilio getting at least partial credit on five songs on each of the next three albums, 'Feel Euphoria', 'Octane' and 'Spock's Beard'. These three albums were somewhat somber albums dominated by the moody voice of D'Virgilio. In 2010, the band was ready to start working on their next album while Di'Virgillio was on tour with Cirque du Soleil. The resulting 'X' was a noticeably lighter and proggier album with D'Virgilio only having a hand in one of the songs. 'Brief Nocturnes and Endless Sleep' is the continuation of that trend, the movement away from the angsty and back towards the type of music and energy that made the band so great in the first place.

'Hiding Out' leads off the album with one of the softest yet most engaging opening lines to date, a gentle rolling piano line that gives you just enough time to appreciate its subtle beauty before the rest of the band slams into the album with a series of hits. Ted Leonard has sole writing credit for this song which strikes me as a bold move for a twenty year old band, 'let's let the newbie start off the new album'. Shoot, Genesis didn't let Ray Wilson in the same studio let alone touch a pen. Jimmy Keegan's drums are mixed a little brighter than D'Virgilio's had been resulting in a tight sound that adds to the new found energy prevalent throughout the album. Dave Meros and Keegan have already had years of experience playing live shows together, as such, there was no loss of cohesion in the rhythm section, they clicked immediately. Another change is the prevalence of the acoustic guitar throughout the album, 'Hiding Out' features a nice strummed guitar on the chorus, giving it a Dream Theater feel at times. Ted Leonard had a tough job here, he had to follow not one, but two of the arguably more known lead singers of the modern prog scene. Not only does he hold his own, but he carves out his own niche adding a warm, vibrant tone that neither of his predecessors had. The band chose a lead singer that can clearly take them to the next level. This is perhaps no more apparent than on 'Submerged'. Mr. Leonard manages to sound at times like Seal, a soulful, breathy voice that commands your attention. Alan Morse gets credit for adding to the soulful feel of the song with a wonderfully timed solo. Congrats guys, this is the best ballad you've ever done.

'Afterthoughts' is the first of two songs that Neal Morse had a hand in, the next chapter in the 'Thoughts' series certainly holds its own in comparison to its predecessors. It's easily the hardest of the trilogy, Leonard delivers a raspy angry voice in the verses as he delivers some of the best lines of the album. 'They all say I'm crazy but I say 'Ha', just like a fox, but with dementia.' We also get a typical Beard call and answer vocal chaos, beautiful.

On the special edition of the album there are two very different versions of 'Something Very Strange'. The album version is all the prog that you could want, tight rhythms, obscure lines, rolling bass lines, Mellotron (yes, Mellotron, I don't want to hear it), Keyboards all over the place and a catchy chorus. The solo section features a great set of tradeoffs between Ryo Okumoto and Alan Morse, absolutely fantastic. The second version is obviously toned down for a single, but remains a catchy rock song. I particularly enjoy the vocorder at the beginning of both versions; it gives the band a modern feel that makes the excessive Mellotron and Organ a little more bearable.

As much as I love the rest of the album, 'Waiting for Me' is the song that Beard fans have been waiting for since Neal Morse left the band. This is a song on par with 'The Light' and 'The End of the Day'. Neal Morse's contribution on this song is pretty easy to see, though it melds beautifully with Leonard's writing style making this one an instant classic. I'm not going to detail this one, just give it a minute to get past the Floydian intro for twelve minutes of bliss. It's an album of bests; this song features the best Alan Morse solo that I've heard followed shortly by another wonderful solo by Ryo.

The other songs are each great in their own right and show a variety of styles and influences. If you listen closely, you can hear snippets reminiscent of Yes, Dream Theater, Pink Floyd and King Crimson. Ted Leonard and Jimmy Keegan really add a lot of energy to the group, Alan Morse and Dave Meros are their wonderful selves and Ryo is all over the place. If you're a fan of Spock's Beard, if you were disenfranchised by the NDV era, don't miss this one. Truly, the Beard is back, and better than ever. I'm happy to give this album a five star rating.

Many years ago I was at a Marillion concert, and after the gig had finished the usual suspects had got together and there was only one subject that we all wanted to talk about ? had everyone heard 'The Light'? For me here was a band taking prog to a brand new level, and I then took every opportunity to see them in concert, rave about their latest releases and was lucky to meet the guys and interview them a few times. Then came the bombshell, Neal had left, even though the band had just recorded what was easily their finest ever album and an absolute prog classic, 'Snow'. But it was okay, they were going to do a Genesis and let the drummer have a go and NDV had a great voice didn't he? Well, 'Octane' wasn't too bad although I did think that they were trying too hard, and then they came to the UK again on tour. First up was CGT who were great, and then it was Enchant who I was really looking forward to as I had been a fan of their music right since the very beginning, and to top it all there was Spock's Beard. I left halfway through SB's set, totally demoralised and to be honest quite upset as well. I had witnessed what to me was a Spock's Beard cover band who just weren't as good as the original. I kept saying to myself that this must have been what it was like when Peter Gabriel left Genesis, but as I didn't start listening to them until 1978 or thereabouts I hadn't been through it myself. I kept trying to like the 'new' SB, but instead found myself much preferring Neal's solo material. Maybe they'll get back together one day I thought?

Then another shock, NDV was leaving SB so tour drummer Jimmy Keegan would get his shot, but what about the singer? Step forward Ted Leonard from Enchant, and I immediately started to take notice. Enchant were a very different band to both Neal-era SB and NDV-era, so what would the new album be like? I actually found myself excited to hear an SB release for the first time since I had played 'Octane'. Now, the album arrived at the same time as the new Neal Morse live album and I couldn't help myself and played that one first, which was a mistake as once it got on the player it was hard to get it off. Then came the time to put on 'Brief Nocturnes..' and I sat back and waited to be impressed.

And boy, was I?! Forget everything you have ever heard by Spock's Beard, here is a brand new band and while I understand why they kept the name after so much history I don't think that there would be much surprise if they had started afresh. This is simply stunning, it is as if bringing in Ted has given everyone a new lease of life and they have just relaxed and let the music flow. Ryo is playing with an incredible sense of freedom and I have never heard him link with Alan the way he does here. Jimmy and Dave just lock in and get down to business with far less in the way of frills than previously, with provides a far firmer foundation for everyone. There has never been any doubt that Ted is a great singer, but here he is also demonstrating more styles and passion than previously.

I never thought that I would be able to say this again, but Spock's Beard have released a five star album: just don't expect it to be the sequel to anything they have done before as they move into a more melodic rock/prog area, with "Submerged" surely destined to be an AOR radio classic! Ted gets a solo credit on one song, while Alan's brother also makes a return on "Waiting For Me". Welcome back guys. www.insideout.de

I purchased this album on the day of it's release, and was so taken by it that I wanted to give it extra time to see if my appreciation faded over time. If anything, after twenty or so listens, I like it even more.

Some years back, after losing their leader and main songwriter, Spocks Beard went through a painful rebirth, crafting two well recorded, but ultimately unmemorable albums before regaining their prog footing and adding a heavier sound in 2006.

Now they have lost Nick D'Virgilio, and havent missed a step. If anything, they have gotten better. Adding touring drummer Jimmy Keegan and singer Ted Leonard, already known for his work with Enchant, the Beard has released an album as good as any from the Morse years (Neal Morse did lend a hand in this, assisting with the writing of two tracks, and playing guitar on one of these).

I like Leonard's vocals much more that D'Virgilio (who has a good singing voice, but sounds too much like an arena rock vocalist for my taste), and even a bit more than Morse. Leonard's voice is similar in tone to Morse, but has more power when it is needed.

The band itself has come up with a blend of Morse's complex style (including those Gentle Giant inspired vocals on Afterthought, an extension of the earlier Thoughts tracks, and often adds a metal edge similar to Dream Theater. Keyboardist Ryo Okumoto and bassist Dave Meros shine on this album like never before. On previous releases, they had their moments, but now they seem to shine on almost every track.

I'm very sorry, NDV, as I admire your talents, but the Beard have really moved up to a new level since you left.