TO WATCH THE STORMS

"To Watch The Storms" is a beautifully conceived and constructed quilt of moods from ex- Genesis guitar hero Steve Hackett. Hackett commands a staggering range of sonic colours: lilting British folk; flamenco; chamber music; atmospheric psychedelia; surrealistic electronica; edgy, Queenly pomp; raw, Genesis-y progscapes; explosive explorations a la Pink Floyd and King Crimson; and beyond. Yet Hackett somehow fuses this kaleidoscopic array into a unified, engrossing, adventurous progressive entity, punctuated by breathtaking displays of his axe artistry. "Storms" is more than coherent enough to keep a listener fixed for the duration of the album, and it is more than viscerally gripping enough to compel repeated listens.

The album may well be worth purchasing simply to hear the subversively gorgeous choir intone "Poet laureate of hell" (from the song "The Devil Is An Englishman"), but "To Watch The Storms" is best appreciated as a whole -- it is far, far more than simply the sum of Hackett's bits. And when it resolves at its terminus, the sweetly endearing, gently swirling "Serpentine Song," the journey concludes in a coolly inviting mist of inward exhilaration. Although "To Watch The Storms" may not be essential in light of many other excellent albums for adventurous proggers, it is a remarkably complete, high-impact work of art rock, and fans of classic early-'70s styles should not overlook it.