SNOW

As I'm sure many other reviews have already stated, [i]Snow[/i] is a story about an albino boy who grows up to become a famous Christian preacher. As an atheist and someone who abhors being preached to, I don't find this album offensive in the least (except for one or two songs). Based on what I have seen in Christian rock infomercials, this album blows any of that tripe out of the water for two reasons:

1.Instead of praising Jesus or the Lord, the album focuses on a specific character's life which happens to revolve around Christianity 2.The music, while not breaking any new ground in the prog rock world, is far more interesting and complex than what I perceive as the usual Christian pop/rock

I think the album deserves a lot of praise just for these two things. However, since this is a prog rock site, the album has to be judged on other merits. The concept is fairly interesting, albeit not all that new or complex. I do enjoy the characters Neal Morse plays (reminiscent of Peter Gabriel in “Get 'Em Out by Friday” or “Harold the Barrel,” but nowhere near as well done) though; during your listen, I am willing to bet you grow to like at least a few of them, especially Snow. However, as with most double concept albums, there are some definite filler tracks, but thankfully they do not last too long.

The music is what I would call progressive pop because it takes influences most clearly from Genesis and Gentle Giant (some of the vocal arrangements), but also takes influence from the modern pop/rock scene. The contradiction of the statement can be argued elsewhere, but my main point is that [i]Snow[/ i] is definitely an album that can be enjoyed by anyone, even non-prog fans. The song structures are relatively simple, it is easy to sing along to, and overall just doesn't really challenge the listener in any way. “Looking for Answers” is the most clear example. The keyboards are the most interesting part of the music; the other instruments not really doing much.

Because of these, Snow isn't a masterpiece and I also can't justify giving it 4 stars. It is a good album, just non-essential. If you like Spock's Beard, you will probably like the album. If you enjoy Christian stories and overtones, I think this album offers something of interest to you since such subject matter is not ever really explored in the prog scene. Also, if you know anyone who listens to just pop or Christian pop/rock, definitely have them check this album out. Who knows, perhaps it will be a gateway to other prog bands!

Highlights: The Devil's Got My Throat

Share this SPOCK'S BEARD review

Social review comments () BETA

---

---

Review related links

• Send comments to Kestrel
• Report this review (#176005)
• Buy SPOCK'S BEARD music online with PA partners
• Show all SPOCK'S BEARD MP3/Stream
• Go to SPOCK'S BEARD page for videos, full discography with ratings, reviews and much more
• Go to Snow page for more details, where to buy and ratings/reviews
• Search the Forum for SPOCK'S BEARD related discussions