BEWARE OF DARKNESS

A good prog album, but still it does not generate much excitement. I guess I´m not very fond of Neil Morse´s singing style, or maybe the band hasn´t really found their own sound. The musicians are great of course and the instrumental parts are quite impressive: there are lots of Hammond and mellotrons, good guitar parts and bass runs. Everybody here is skillful and wear their influences on their sleeves. Maybe this is the problem: they don´t translate their roots in anything really new yet or even very interesting.

The production is good and the playing is faultless. The reworking of the George Harrison song that gives the album title is a little strange at first, but aside from the vocals, it works. A lot of passages reminds me of Genesis, Yes and Gentle Giant, all great bands I love. Yet something is missing. Good playing is not always a garantee for good music. Spock´s Beard would develop into something stronger and unique. But here they sound only tentative, even if they are terrific players and have excellent musical references. 2,5 stars, rounded up to 3.